A Heroine's Resolution
by generic-faingirl
Summary: Part 4 of Marion's Story. Now married to James, the man who saved her in the forest, Marion still has no memory of the boy she fell in love with before the curse on the castle. And to make matters worse, she still is trying to break the curse on her family by staying silent. But fate has some unlikely twists planned for her. Part of AHJ series.
1. Chapter 1

**A Heroine's Resolution.**

 **Chapter One.**

The first day of July was warm and bright as I waited outside the manor house for the carriage to arrive. Anticipation had curled in my stomach, knotting and twisting until I had almost felt sick.

I had sent the letter, finally; and the response was almost immediate. Now, she was due to arrive any minute and all I could do was wait in silence.

Always in silence.

My entire life was silence.

Ever since that day almost two and a half months ago, I had not spoken a single word.

That horrid day when my world had come crashing down. The day that evil Faerie enchanter had cursed my family.

My seven siblings had been caught in his garden, trying to take a Rose for the annual competition, and he had bound them up and cursed them to be animals by daylight. And the only way to break this cruel curse was for me to remain silent for an entire year.

It had been difficult, so unbelievably hard. There were so many times I had opened my mouth to speak, but had to close it again straight away in case I accidentally let something slip. It frustrated me to no end. I was eagerly counting down the days until next springbloom, when I would finally be able to talk and cry and shout and scream.

However, not everything in my life was so terrible. Thanks to some very unlikely twist of fate, I had reunited with a young man I had met at a ball, all those years ago. And due to a very trying set of circumstances, we had married.

I was now married; I still couldn't quite believe it most of the time. I was the mistress of a grand manor house, I had wealth and freedom, and we were never going to starve again. It all seemed too good to be true.

A large hand gripped the top of my shoulder, and I turned to see the smiling face of my husband, James.

'Are they still not here yet?' He asked.

I shook my head.

'Good.' He said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips, his hand moving to cup my head. I melted into the kiss, a large grin spreading over my face as he kissed me.

The distant sound of horses interrupted us.

'Of course, now they decided to show.' James grumbled, giving me a swift kiss on the top of my head.

I rolled my eyes at him. He was just ridiculous some times.

Things had definitely improved between us recently. Ever since he had fired the servants who had been tormenting me for the first month of my marriage, we had gotten closer and closer.

In fact, I now spent most nights in his bed.

After that one night where I'd had the most realistic nightmare and he had offered to stay with me, I found that the next night, I was unable to sleep.

I had tossed and turned for hours, but just couldn't find it in me to drift of. The night he had been there, and held me in his arms, I had slept almost instantly. So, I had plucked up the courage to knock on his door, and ask if I could share his bed. His answering smile had been all the agreement I had been looking for.

We hadn't done anything past sleeping. I still wasn't sure if I was ready for that. But it felt nice, to be held by someone as I drifted off. And waking up every morning to his sleeping form was rather lovely was well.

That had been almost a week ago, and now we seemed to have reached the unconscious decision that we spend the nights together. We hadn't told my family, mainly because I didn't want to have to answer too many questions, and also I wanted to avoid my brother Alexander's wrath.

Even though I knew that nothing had happened, Alexander tended to have a tendency to assume the worst when it came to James. He'd always been very protective of all of us, even though I was a year older than him. But in daylight, he was squirrel, so he couldn't do much.

The approaching carriage got closer and closer. James's hand moved downward from my neck to my waist, and he lifted his other hand to wave.

Before too long, the carriage had pulled to a stop in front of the manor, and the door swung open from the inside.

A young man with dark brown hair, almost jumped from the carriage.

'James!' He shouted, walking towards us. James let go of me to embrace his old friend.

'Christopher, it's good to see you.' James said, embracing him.

I walked past the two of them and to the open carriage door. There, just inside was a familiar face that made me smile.

'Hello Marion!' Said Ella, her only expression joyful.

I just waved, unable to speak back to her.

'Can you just take Jonathan for a moment?' She asked, indicating to the small child sat on her knee. A beautiful one-year old baby boy had happily on his mother's knee, blocking her ability to get up. I nodded, and she carefully lifted her son into my arms.

I smiled at him, as stared up at me from his large brown eyes. I held him on my hip, as he reached to tug my hair. I almost laughed pulled it gently, more curious about it than anything else.

'He does that with Jaqueline too. He must like long brown hair.' Ella said, stepping out of the carriage. She embraced me.

I really had missed her. She was one of my oldest friends, we had lived in the same house for years.

'I'm so sorry. I really am Marion. About all of this. We had no idea, none at all!' She said, pulling back from me.

I just gave her a sad smile, pulling Jonathan up so he was sitting more comfortably on my hip.

'How awful for you. So really can't speak, at all?' She asked.

I shook my head. Every moment of having to be silent was torture.

'Marion, Ella, are you coming inside?' James shouted from the top step.

I gestured for Ella to go inside with my head. She took Jonathan back off me and we both walked into the house. Christopher shouted something to the coachman to disappear for a few hours.

All five of us entered the house.

'I'm very offended that we weren't invited to your wedding!' Christopher said as we all stood in the entrance hall. 'After all, you both were invited to ours!'

'It was… a rather last minute thing.' James said, giving me a sideways glance. I smirked.

'So, who was your best man?' Christopher asked James. 'Don't say Antony or Philip were there.'

'I didn't have a best man, and Marion had no bridesmaids. I don't think they would have fit to be quite honest.' James said. 'And it wasn't exactly what you would call a traditional ceremony.'

I almost snorted at that. Memories of James arguing with the priest and ripping pages out of books came to mind.

'Oh, now you have to tell us the whole story.' Ella said.

I gestured to the green drawing room, where I'd had tea already prepared. We all made our way inside and Ella placed Jonathan down the floor carefully. He instantly started to crawl around, a happy smile on his face.

I took a seat on the armchair by the fire, next to the table with the tea service, and also many blank pages of paper. I figured earlier on in the day that I would probably need them. Ella and Christopher sat on the large sofa, Jonathan crawling on the floor between them, and James took the armchair across from me.

'So, come on.' Christopher said, glancing between the two of us. 'There must be a good story here.'

'Well, It's Marion's story really. I just stumbled into it by accident.' James said, giving me a small smirk. 'And really she should tell it, as she is far better at describing it than I ever could.'

I raised my eyebrow at him, and he smirked again.

'But, seeing as though she has a little trouble with speaking at the moment,' He said.' I suppose I'll have to do.'

I poured the tea for everyone as James began to relate my story to Ella and Christopher. He started with my father's death, and subsequent curse. Then he talked about how we ran to the forest and lived in the cottage. Then, the time he almost shot my sister.

He told them about the first few weeks of our meeting, and how we had grown closer until we began courting. He told them about my eviction from the cottage and how I had found him riding through the forest. He smiled as he talked about our wedding and the hiding of my family. His tale ended when he had fired the servants for tormenting me.

Ella just sat there with her mouth agape when she heard how they had treated me.

The tea was finished by the time James had stopped talking, and Ella and Christopher both sat there trying to take in what they had just heard.

Ella placed her hand gently on my knee.

'I'm so sorry Marion. If there is anything we can do, anything at all.'

I shook my head. I now had everything I could ever need, other than my ability to speak.

'So what of this Faerie. Has there been any effort to find him and get him to revoke the curse?' Christopher asked. James shook his head.

'No, we don't even know where to start looking. Marion hasn't seen or heard from him since that day.'

I subtlety bit the inside of my cheek. That wasn't entirely true.

That night that I'd had the nightmare, he had been there. He had spoken to me.

I knew that it was more than likely a dream, a figment of my imagination. Some unconscious part of me that had wanted him to apologise to me.

But there were far too many parts of that dream that didn't add up. I still had no idea who that red haired young man had been, and why I had seen myself smiling at him. I didn't know why I had been wearing that mysterious ring throughout the dream, instead of my wedding ring. And the faerie had said such things to me, thing that still didn't make any sense.

I hadn't told James about what had been in the dream. I knew he would dismiss it as just a nightmare, but I didn't think it was completely. I wasn't sure what it was, dream, or prophesy or memory. But I was almost certain that it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I was sure there was something else to it.

'Well, maybe we can help there?' Christopher said. 'We have entire rooms filled with documents of history, maybe one of them could have some clue as to where to find faeries? Or maybe a way to break their curses?'

I smiled a little at him. I knew he was trying to help, but I also knew that it was a fool's hope. I highly doubted that there would be an easy answer to this, written down conveniently somewhere.

I gave him a gesture of my thanks. James translated my gestures for him.

But then, I picked up the quill that had sat on the table next to me and began to scribble.

The other three waited patiently for me to finish, and little Jonathan was still crawling around, giggling to himself.

I passed the paper to Ella, who took it graciously.

 _I wrote you a letter, when I was in the forest. Did you get it?_

I watched as she read the words carefully. Then she took a deep breath and nodded.

My mouth fell open unconsciously.

She had known. She had known that I was in trouble and did nothing?

'Yes, I did get it, but I didn't read it until this week.' She said sadly.

I just stared at her. Why on earth had she not read my letter?

'I'm so sorry Marion. It's been sat there on my desk for so long. I meant to get up and read it, but…'

Ella looked to her husband. Christopher just took her hand gently and smiled.

'Ella has been rather ill for the past month.' Christopher told me.

My jaw dropped. But she looked so healthy, almost glowing.

'What was the matter?' James asked.

'I had…' Ella said, 'I had morning sickness.'

Oh.

That would explain it.

Ella beamed at me.

'I'm expecting again. There's going to be another little one.' She told me.

I found myself smiling before I could realise what was going on.

'Congratulations.' James told the two of them, also smiling.

'Thank you. But it meant that for the past month I've been on bed rest. There were some days I could hardly get out of bed. So, your letter arrived, and it got placed on the desk and only last week did I begin to go through the letters. Yours was the first I picked up, but by then, it was clearly too late.'

So that was why she hadn't come to help me. I knew I couldn't really blame her for being ill, that was hardly to be helped.

'I'm so sorry. I should have read it earlier. Will you ever forgive me?' She asked, her eyes pleading with me.

It wasn't her fault; she had been ill. And if the physicians ordered her on bedrest, then there wouldn't have been anything she could have done regardless.

I nodded. Of course I could forgive her, there was nothing to forgive.

'Oh, thank goodness. You have no idea how terrible I have felt.' She said. I just gave her a comforting smile. She really was an angel to think that she could have prevented this.

'So, when is the baby due?' James asked.

'Around late December, just after your birthday Marion.' Ella told us excitedly. 'Wouldn't it be strange if you shared a birthday!'

'Your birthday is in December?' James asked me. I just nodded at him.

Ella just looked between the two of us. 'You don't know when her birthday is?' She asked.

James looked surprised. 'No, I suppose I never thought to ask. As pointed out before, we haven't exactly had what you would call the most normal of marriages…'

It was true, we'd never actually discussed things like that, birthdays and favourite things and dislikes. We hadn't had much time to do any of that. Also, I couldn't speak so that conversation might have lasted a good long while.

I picked up the quill.

 _My birthday is the day after the winter solstice. When's yours?_

I passed the paper to James, who took it quickly and gave me a small smirk.

'Actually, mine is next week.' He admitted.

I sat up in shock. He had never mentioned anything about his birthday being next week. Was I supposed to have known? Did I have to plan something?

Even Christopher nodded.

'But it's not just my birthday, it's also the anniversary of a special event, now I wonder what that could be Christopher?'

Christopher cheeks burned as everyone turned to look towards him. James just sat back with his usual smug expression on his face, as Ella looked at her husband in curiosity.

'Darling?' She asked.

His cheeks just went redder and redder.

I spied a look a James, and that was all the confirmation I needed that he was referring to that time he had told me about, where Christopher had gotten a little too drunk…

'At least there will be no repeat of that this year.' James said teasingly.

'What happened?' Ella asked, looking between all three of us.

'I'm not entirely sure.' Christopher admitted. 'I only know the tales I was told the next day.'

Unluckily at that moment, I spied little baby Jonathan pulling on a table cloth where a vase of flowers was precariously balanced on top of. I instantly stood up, and made for him, Ella crying out when she saw. I lifted up Jonathan before he could pull it off all the way, and out of danger. He just giggled happily to himself, kicking his arms and legs as I lifted him up to balance on my hip. His hands went to grab my hair again, utterly fascinated by it.

Ella was on her feet, breathing a sigh of relief that I had got him before anything too bad had happened.

'Oh thank goodness. Sorry, he does this. He's just learning how to walk, and he grabs whatever he can find to lift himself up.'

Jonathan just babbled happily, still pulling at my hair. I just smiled at him, and bounced him around a little bit on my hip. After growing up in a house with seven siblings, I was no stranger to looking after babies. But Jonathan was a particularly adorable one. He just seemed so happy all of the time.

'He's mischievous already?' Said James, looking towards the little one, 'No! I was supposed to teach him that! You're too advanced!'

Jonathan just gurgled. I looked between Jonathan and James, and noticed that James wasn't looking entirely at his godson, but rather at me holding him. The smug expression was gone, and what was left I didn't recognise. A small smile, wide eyes, as if longing.

But then Jonathan decided to try and eat my hair, and my focus returned to the baby in my arms. I gently pulled it out of his reach, and gave him a small tap on the nose as punishment. He clearly didn't see that it was, as he only laughed when I did it.

'Oh, look at the time. He'll be hungry. Can you show me to your kitchen?' Ella asked. 'It's been so long since I've had to prepare a meal, it will be just like back at the manor.'

I nodded, and passed Jonathan back to Ella, who cooed over him.

I led her out of the room and down the kitchen. It was now my domain, as there were no servants to cook and clean for us. But I liked it. It gave me a sense of purpose, and I actually enjoyed cooking. The cleaning, not so much.

Ella told me all the things she would need to make Jonathan's lunch, and I fetched them all for her.

'Look at us, right back where we started.' Ella said, placing Jonathan down in a small chair we had moved from the nursery upstairs.

I nodded, and reached for the slate that was kept in the kitchen. Last week, when I had taken over from Helen and Martha, James bought me another slate so I could continue to write things down.

 _It's like being back, but also really not._

'You're right there. Look at you, a lady!' Ella exclaimed.

I nodded. I still couldn't believe it sometimes. That I was married, and not only that, but I had a title.

'Who would have thought, back when we were sixteen, that in four years, we'd be here?'

I shook my head. So much had changed in four years. Both of us had been orphaned, and both had married the men we had danced with at the ball, but under very different circumstances. Ella was expecting her second child, and loved her husband dearly. I cared for James, very deeply, but I wasn't ready to call it love. And I had also had to deal with curses and evil Faeries. We had very different situations.

But I didn't write that. Instead I wrote about how she was so lucky, how we were both so lucky.

Ella just nodded, and asked for my help in peeling the carrots.

And so we worked, side by side. Something that we hadn't done since before Sir Henry married Lady Evil, when Ella had been allowed to help us in the kitchen, before I had been very unfairly fired.

But, none of that mattered. We'd both come a long way since then.

The minutes passed, and Ella talked to me about not much in particular, just about the usual people and how they were doing. Jaqueline was still living with them, but was currently visiting her father's relatives, who she had only recently been in correspondence with. Ella hadn't heard anything from her stepmother, or stepsister, although Jaqueline had heard that Anna had got married, not that she had been invited. Ella told me about her social engagements, and her charity work to help feed the poor after the harsh winter. I had been so grateful to her when she had given my family regular packages of money, it had seen us through those initial months, as well as Alexander's poaching.

I had missed her, I really had. I missed her loving and calm manner, how she was always honest and forgiving. She seemed to have become more so with her son, who she would fuss over whenever he made any sort of noise. It was so lovely to see her and her son, how much she loved him.

But before too long, we had finished making Jonathan's lunch and I picked up the tray of sandwiches I had prepared earlier in the day for our lunch. We went back upstairs to find James and Christopher in deep conversation, mainly about how James should never bring up what happened when Christopher had gotten too drunk again.

Both of them looked up and smile when we entered, Christopher offering to take Jonathan for a little while.

We sat and ate, and those three discussed things, like old friends were meant to.

And I was silent. As usual. I knew that they hadn't meant to exclude me, but that was the fact of my life now. I was excluded, from every conversation. I couldn't speak, or join in, or voice my opinion or anything.

Just nine and a half months more of silence.

I listened, and James kept trying to direct questions towards me, but it took so long for me to write the answers that the conversation had generally moved on by the time I had finished.

It was infuriating, but I knew that it wasn't their fault. Christopher of course would want to talk to his old friend, and Ella had become good friends with James while he was staying in the palace with them.

So eventually, I was given charge of baby Jonathan who sat on my knee. He was starting to doze off, and I held him as his little head leaned on my arm. He looked so peaceful and adorable. It almost made me want to imagine being a mother. But not yet. I didn't want to be a mother yet. I wasn't ready for that.

I just rocked him back and forth, unable to sing him a lullaby or coo over him. I just silently held him.

The hours passed, and eventually, the coachman arrived to take the Howard's family back home. I was about to hand Jonathan back to his father, but James came up to me, and complained that he hadn't seen his godson yet. I passed the sleeping child over to him, James' hands brushing my arm as he took the small boy. He began whispering all sorts of things to him, most of them about how to cause the most trouble for his parents. I almost laughed at some of the absurd things he was saying. But James only smiled at me and said.

'I'm his godfather, someone has to teach him how to misbehave! That's my job.'

I only rolled my eyes at my husband, and he went back to telling the baby how to cause havoc. But I could tell that he really did care for his godson. It was just the way he was looking at him. He loved the tiny little boy.

Ella and Christopher began to talk to me. Christopher had promised to find something on the Fae, and to see if there was anything he could do to try and get the curse lifted. He had told me earlier that maybe I could look through some of the books in the library and see if there was anything I could learn. It was most likely a fool's errand, but I had to try.

James eventually gave Jonathan back to his parents, and we watched as the three of them climbed back into the carriage and waved out of the window. Both of us waved back as the carriage took off and before too long, they disappeared out of sight.

I lent my head on James's shoulder as we watched them go.

'Now, where were we, before they arrived?' James teased, his arm snaking down my back and he pulled me in at my waist.

I pretended to think about it for a moment, and James huffed a laugh, before leaning down to kiss me sweetly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in tighter to me. My lips moved over his, and he groaned as he deepened the kiss.

Then he suddenly pulled back and gave me a smug smile.

'No, you're right, I can't remember either.' He teased.

I wasted no time in pulling his face back down to mine so he could kiss me again. He pressed his lips firmly to mine, and kissed me fiercely.

And I knew in that moment, that things weren't perfect. They were never going to be. But I was happy, with him.

And that was all I really needed to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The rest of the day passed, and before too long, the manor house was once again filled with animals. As it got later and later, my siblings all came back to the house, usually in pairs, and we all waited for the sun to set.

As it was now July, the sun set was rather late at night, which meant most of my family usually returned about an hour or so from when they were due to change back. I had slowly gotten used to the animals scurrying or flying around the house, trying to keep themselves occupied. Some of them even came down to the kitchen to see me, but most of the time I made them leave as they would distract me from making their dinner. James was the one who set them to work. He made them help to set the table. Or at least tried to. Daniel was now good enough at flying that he could pick up cutlery and place it in the right spot. Tom ran around with the basket of napkins in his mouth. Robbie could balance things on his back. But the rest of my family weren't very good at helping out, so they usually entertained themselves.

But eventually, the sun set and they all once again transformed back into humans, the familiar golden light surrounding them.

As soon as they were all human again, they descended on me, wanting food. It was very late at night after all, and they were all starving. With James and Alexander's help, we managed to get them all to sit down. Daniel just made several comments about how he was going to wolf down all his food, not caring if he ate like an animal. Clara pointed out that he wasn't one anymore, but that didn't stop him from putting on a show for the younger ones.

I fed them, and it wasn't too long before they were all yawning, myself included. So, I bid them all goodnight and they all went off to their rooms. Alexander, Daniel, Clara, Richard were in the guest rooms. Gwen was in the room that used to be for a nanny, purely so she had a door that lead directly to the nursery for when she wanted to play, which wasn't very often in the current circumstances. But Alexander had pointed out to her that when the nights began to get longer, she would use it more. Tom and Robbie were still in the dormitory in the attic. They had wanted to share a room and it was the only one with more than one bed.

I was technically still in the mistress's bedroom, but I hadn't actually slept in there in over a week. My family didn't know, mainly because I knew exactly what Alexander's reaction would be.

So, I clambered up the stairs, waving goodnight to Clara and Richard who had the rooms on the same corridor as me, and disappeared behind the door. I changed quickly into my nightgown, and slumped onto the bed.

I had been looking forward to seeing Ella for quite some time, so now the day was done, the energy that had been building up inside of me was gone, and I felt exhausted. My eyelids were almost drooping by the time I remembered I had to blow the candles out.

James had not come upstairs yet, and I couldn't seem to keep my eyes open as I blew out the candle and darkness descended.

I almost fell into the bed, not bothering to pull the sheets up around me and I dozed off.

* * *

A little while later, I awoke to feeling something on my cheek. My eyelids fluttered open to see James stroking my cheek gently.

'You'll get cold if you sleep like that. And back ache.' He said.

I smiled a little and began to shift so I could pull the covers up around me.

'So, are we staying in here then?' James asked. 'I don't mind which one we use, but I need you to protect me from all the nightmares.'

I rolled my eyes and him, and shifted myself so there was room for him on the side of the bed. He grinned and slid into the sheets. He raised his arm and pulled the sheets up to my shoulder.

I hadn't realised I was cold until I began to heat up from the covers.

We lay there for a little while, just in each other's company. His thumb rubbed the top of my shoulder affectionately.

'Marion?' He asked, turning over so he was looking at me. I reached for his hand and squeezed it a little.

'I have to go to town tomorrow. Just some things that need attending to. I'll be back by nightfall, hopefully. But I might not be. It depends how much I have to get done.'

He sighed.

'Will you be alright on your own, for just a day?'

I squeezed his hand again, and nodded. I had endured a lot worse than simply being on my own for a whole day.

'I'll send a note if it's going to take more time. I'm hoping it won't.' He said, moving his hand slowly from my shoulder up to my neck.

His hand was so light upon my skin as it moved up and up, higher and higher until he was cupping my cheek.

'I know today wasn't everything you hoped it would be, but I hope you still enjoyed seeing your friend.' He said, brushing his fingers over my cheek.

I sighed. I hadn't really known what to expect. I knew I had wanted to see Ella, but when they were all talking without me, it felt a little…exclusive. I didn't really know what they could have done about it, but that was the truth.

I shrugged my shoulders in a so-so kind of way, and then nodded. Even in the dark, I could see James smile, just a little.

He shifted in the bed so he was lying closer to me. I could feel his breath warming my cheeks.

'It will all be over soon. The time will fly by.' He whispered.

There was something about the way he said it that made me want to believe him. I so desperately wanted to believe him. But I think what affected me the most was just the fact that he was trying. He was trying so hard to make this easier for me, to help me. He was trying to comfort me in a situation where it was almost impossible.

My heart soared at how much he cared.

So, in response, I moved my head forward a little, a placed a small kiss on his lips.

It was only short and chaste, but James pulled back, still smiling a little.

'Sleep Marion.' He said, though his voice sounded a little pained. His hand moved from my cheek to my back where he pulled me in so I was resting on his chest. His hand moved up and down my back in soothing strokes, and it wasn't long before I felt his breathing begin to even out, as my own tiredness began to take hold. So, we lay there together, just holding on, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day was dull.

Exceedingly so.

James had let early in the morning, riding off towards the nearest town, and my siblings had all left the house to go and wander round the forest. Their behaviours became very animal like while the sun shone, not that I was surprised. But it the meant that I was once again all alone in the silence.

I had tried various things to occupy myself. At one point I got so sick of the silence that I went to the music room, the one behind the drawing room, and sat at the pianoforte.

I couldn't play, I wasn't very musical. But I hit the keys in a random order, the sound ringing out and echoing around the room. Although it wasn't music, it wasn't silence, and I beamed as the notes rang out.

It was at time like this when I missed the ability to talk to the most. When I had been left alone before the curse, I had been able to sing while I cleaned or worked or cooked. It lifted my spirits and helped the time pass. But now, the silence was oppressing.

I hated it.

I hated every second.

I hated that faerie, I hated what he was doing to me, hated that the end was still so far off.

In the end, I found myself in the library, looking over books to read. My eyes scanned the titles etched into the spines of the books, and my fingers ran over the ones nearest to me.

But nothing seemed to jump out at me as something I would want to read.

It was only when my eyes drifted to a far shelf that I was not used to looking through, was my attention seized.

There was a shelf on the other side of the room that I had not been near yet. Mainly because it contained no novels, no stories.

But instead, History. James liked those books, I had seen a few in his room. I never really had much interest in it, much preferring books of adventures and romance.

But Christopher's words from the day before rang in my ears. He had mentioned that somewhere written might be answers about how to find faeries. And if we could work out how to find them, then maybe we could find him and get him to revoke the curse early.

I made for the book shelf and eagerly surveyed it. Most of the books before me were about military history, records of great battles and such. But as my eyes drifted higher and higher, the books got older and had slightly more relevant topics. There were books on court life, books on politics, books on great rulers. I even spied one that was written about great women. There really should have been more; I thought it was a crime there were so many books written about men and so few about women. From my experience, some of the most influential people in my life had been women.

But my eyes kept searching until I found one right near the top which read;

 _The origins of mythology._

I clambered onto the nearby table and reached up to grab it. It was covered in dust, but came away from the shelf rather easily.

The cover was an old dark brown leather that felt fragile in my hand as I stepped down off the table and held it. Placing it down on the top, I gingerly peeled back the worn old pages.

The book seemed to have chapters on most mythology, spanning from goblins and witches to angels and the undead. I looked further and further down the page until I found the word I was looking for

 **Fae.**

There is was, printed in bold black lettering.

I followed the page number across and carefully turned over the pages until finally there was a picture of a person with long pointed ears staring up at me, and a caption that labelled him as a faerie.

I took a deep breath, I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up that this book was going to give me all of the answers I needed, but I couldn't stop the rising bud of hope that had blossomed within me.

I turned over the page, sat in the chair, and began reading.

 _Faeries have long been a part of mythology, with many folk tales detailing their deeds and habits. However, the fae are a real species, and in reality bear very little resemblance to the mischievous and happy being described in these stories._

 _The fae are human like in appearance, save for the long pointed ears, elongated canines and golden eyes. Faeries can use their magic to disguise themselves as more human looking, but most of the time, the eyes still show their true nature. Faeries possess magic, but how much depends from faerie to faerie. Some possess more than other, nature deciding who get the most._

 _The fae are actually a very mysterious sort of species with very little being known about them. But, this ignorance does not work both ways._

I stared at the paper, taking a deep breath before carefully turning the page over.

 _What is known about the fae is that they seem to have magic that concerns mainly the future, and days yet to pass. How they know this, no human has ever known, but all the tales consistently talk of how the fae knew exactly what was going to happen._

 _Some sources even go as far to say that the fae are responsible for the days of the future, that they themselves work to ensure that the future will come to pass. Some believe that there are faeries who are always hidden from humans, but influence their lives, pushing them towards a goal. However, this is mainly speculation._

 _What can be concluded from the evidence is that while the fae as a species have a high population, they are governed by a council of thirteen._

 _There are always thirteen faeries in total, of both sexes, who rule the faeries. They have the strongest magic, and it is said they guard the source of their information about the days to come. They are recognisable by their further reaching curses and blessings and each member of the council has a distinctive colour of magic. Most magic is invisible, only the rulers produce coloured magic. Some have said it resembles ribbons of light._

 _The ruling fae colours are red, green, yellow, violet, white, indigo, pink, turquoise, pale blue, bronze, silver, lilac and gold._

I couldn't breathe. I just sat and stared at the page.

Gold magic. Like ribbons of light.

That was him.

The faerie who had cursed my family.

He had golden magic. I saw it every day. The familiar ribbons of light that always surrounded my family at sunrise and sunset.

They had been cursed by one of the ruling faeries.

Swallowing hard, I leant back forward to keep reading.

 _The ruling faerie have the ability to issue curses and blessing that affect more than one person. Other faeries do not possess this ability. However, like all other faeries, the amount of magic they have varies within the group._

 _The ruling council always has thirteen. At the death of one of the ruling fae, the power is transferred to their heir instantly, who will then take up their position on the council. This is usually a next of kin, but not necessarily._

 _Faerie have the ability to curse people. Some can transform humans into animals or objects, some create visions, some can confine humans. But it is only the ruling faeries who can modify a curse once it has been cast. Curses are issued, but always have a condition which will lead to the end of the curse. The only way to end faerie curses is to complete the task the faerie set the human, to have the fae who cast it to withdraw it, or the death of the faerie._

My heart stopped.

The curse could be broken.

It was possible, if what this book said was true.

If the faerie died, or he withdrew it, then it would be over.

I would be free. I would be able to talk.

 _However, there is one exception to this rule. For one curse in the faerie's lifetime, they can bind their magic to a curse. If this happens, then even faerie's death will not release the human from the curse. The only way to lift it would be by completing the task that the faerie had set initially._

I read the words over and over again.

No, no, no!

Had he done that to me, to my family?

I didn't recall him saying anything of the sort. Not to me.

So maybe, the curse on my family wasn't the one he had bound his magic to. If that was the case, there was still hope.

If we could only find him, I might not have to continue in silence for the next nine and a half months.

My hands shook as I ran my them over my face.

Would I have to… would I have to kill him? If it meant being free? I knew I had said I would if I ever saw him again, but I never actually thought I'd have to do it. Could I do it?

I wasn't so sure I could actually kill someone. I didn't think I could live with myself if I really did kill him.

I slumped back into the chair trying to comprehend what I had just read.

But as I did, my mind whirled and suddenly I found myself remembering the last time I had seen him. Not on the day of the curse, but in my dream.

 _'My time is coming to an end. It will not be long now. I have made my peace with it, but I have not made my peace with you. Not now, you've suffered too much. But one day, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me when I am gone.'_

He had said that to me, in my dream. There was no way that I could have ever thought he would say those words to me. I couldn't have thought that up.

Which meant, maybe I had actually seen him that night. Maybe it wasn't just a nightmare.

And if what he said was true…

Then he might be dying. Or about to die.

He talked about when he was gone, his time was coming to an end.

If faeries knew about the future, surely he would know about his own death.

So maybe, just maybe, he was going to die. And by dying, he would free me from the curse.

Just maybe.

I had to hope.

It might be soon.

Any day now, I would be free.

Just maybe.

I read the passage over and over again. The rest of the chapter went on to say how the image of the faerie had made its way into folk tales and other myths, and how the truth had become distorted.

But I didn't care about any of that. There could be a way to break the curse. There was hope. For the first time in a long time I actually felt hopeful about the end of the silence. It was no longer a thing in the distant future, but something that could happen any day.

And I hoped that it was something that could happen without me having to kill him. He had seemed so remorseful in the dream. He had told me that I had suffered the most, to save the most, whatever that meant. But if Faeries could see the future, I wasn't about to question them.

 _'Someone else must defeat him, but you must endure. You have to endure.'_

I had heard that as well, in the dream. The fae fortune teller had said those words to me two years ago. And I knew in my heart that it had something to do with this curse. It had to.

But she had also said something about losing someone. Could she have possibly been referring to my father? He had been still alive when she had made that prophesy, she could have been talking about him.

I didn't know who she was speaking off, but in some way I hoped it was my father. Because then at least that way, I had already endured the loss. I didn't think I could go on if I lost anyone else dear to me.

I stood from the chair, taking the book with me. I almost ran upstairs. My footsteps echoed around the large entrance hall, and I slammed the door behind me. As fast as I could I grabbed the quill and some paper and began to write.

First, I copied out all of the passages in the book that were relevant to my situation. All of the ones about the golden magic and the ways to break curses. Next to them, I wrote notes around what I thought they could mean. I had to show it to James and my brothers and sisters. Together, maybe we could find a way to break it.

After I finished several pages of notes, I grabbed some more paper and began to write a letter to Ella and Christopher, detailing what I had found. If they were trying to find things to help me, then they needed to know this. They could maybe find out if what the book said was true.

I wrote the title of the book I had found, and scribbled several sentences that would prove useful and what I thought it meant.

And all the time I was writing, all I could think was that it might be over soon, that I would be able to speak and go back to being normal again.

I couldn't wait.

* * *

That night, I lay in bed all alone.

James had sent a message in the late afternoon that there was still more for him to do, and so he had to stay overnight in town.

And so, I tossed and turned in my empty bed in the dark, wishing he was here.

I hadn't realised that I had become so accustomed to him always being there. In just over a week, I had gotten so used to his comforting warm presence every night.

I missed his joking manner, the way he smiled at me, how he kissed me.

I knew it was only for a day, but my heart seemed to bleed with wanting. I just wanted him here, with me.

He had always cared, more than I had ever dared hope. He had cared when he had found us in the forest, he had cared when he had offered to marry me, he cared now.

I liked falling asleep in his arms. They felt safe and warm, and I always felt special within them. There were sometimes that I thought I felt loved surrounded by them.

It felt strange, that my feelings could grow so much in such a short space of time. Granted that our circumstances had been far, far from normal; but now all I could think about was how much I missed him not being here with me. I had always imagined that when I ever began to fall in love with anyone, that it would be a long process, not a lightning bolt as Ella had experienced. I had thought that I would like to be courted and swept off my feet, like in the story books. But, me and James seemed to have done everything in the wrong order. We had married first, and James had spent the first month trying to ignore me to make it easier on both of us, no matter how miserable it made him. And me.

But, in the large empty bed, I felt truly alone without him; my family were only several meters away, but felt further away than they had ever been.

I wasn't in love with James, I couldn't be. We had only really known each other for two months. It wasn't possible. And he almost certainly didn't love me.

But after everything that had happened… After all he had done…

My hand reached forwards to feel the empty sheets, cool against my skin. Why wasn't he here? The moonlight that fell through the small gap in the curtains shone on the white bed, showing how he wasn't here.

But I wanted him here. I really did.

Huffing in frustration, I turned over, so I couldn't see the empty space that James usually occupied. I could get one night's sleep without him. I could think about something else, anything else.

I could get to sleep without having my husband holding me.

I could get to sleep without pining for him.

But I missed the way his cheek lent on my head, I missed the way his brow would crinkle when he dreamed, I missed the way he shivered when the sheets fell off his shoulders.

And I wanted him back. I wanted my husband back with me.

Reluctantly, I turned back over to look at where he usually was. My head moved closer to the center of the bed, until my head was on his pillow. It even smelt vaguely of him. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent, letting it surround me.

I really missed him.

My hands moved unconsciously until I was gripping his pillow and pulled it in closer to me, until I found I was hugging it tightly. I didn't know why I did it, but it made it feel a little like he was here.

And holding tightly onto any trace of him, I eventually let myself succumb to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three.**

The sun shone brightly into my eyes as I sat on the steps of the manor, waiting.

Always waiting.

The morning had seemed to go on forever.

And I was very bored.

All morning, I had been waiting for James to come home. I thought that he would be back by now, but I had been waiting for hours.

The book I had found the day before lay on my lap, opened at the page on the fae. All morning, I had been trying to distract myself by reading it over and over again. I hung on every sentence, clinging onto the hope that had been building up inside me.

There could be a way out of this curse. And I couldn't wait to show James what I had found. I wanted this to just be over, the sooner the better. If what this book said was true, then it could be a matter of days, weeks until I would be able to speak. I wouldn't have to wait for nine and a half months to shout and scream and talk.

I wanted to be able to talk to my family. I wanted to be able to have a conversation with my husband. I wanted to be able to speak with my friend.

As the sun beat down on me, I just sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Why wasn't he here? I had spent all day and all night alone, and I just wanted him back.

The waiting seemed to go on forever.

Was James even coming back? Was he coming home today?

I glanced down to the book again, and my letter that I had written to explain what I had found. As I had a lot of time on my hands, I wrote out exactly what I wanted to say.

I unfolded the note and folded it again, hitting it against my palm from just pure boredom.

Eventually, the summer sun got the better of me, and my throat became too dry to ignore. So, I moved the book and letter to the edge of the door, and went inside to go and get a cup of water. My footsteps were the only sounds that echoed around the large empty house.

I made it down to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. It soothed my throat in the heat of the day. My stomach was flipping and churning. I hated the waiting, hated him not being here.

What if he disproved what I had found? What if he killed the hope that had been building?

The cup of water was finished and I set it down. With a deep sigh, I walked back out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. However, there was not the bright sunlight that had filled the room just moments before.

Instead, there was someone stood in the doorway, his long dark brown hair ruffled from hours of riding.

'There's my beautiful wife.' James said, giving me a large smile.

I didn't even think as my legs moved and I ran at my husband. He dropped the bag he had strung over his shoulders and opened his arms just in time for me to run into them. Pulling him in as tightly as I could, I beamed as I held him again. His own arms tightened around my back as his cheek rested on top of my head.

He was here! James was back home.

'I guess you missed me?' He said, squeezing me tightly. It felt good, and safe, and like home.

I nodded into his shoulder. I really had missed him. It had only been a day, but I had really just wanted him back here.

'I missed you too.' He mumbled into my ear.

I just stood there, holding him. It had just felt so right.

He pulled back a little bit, enough so I could see his face, just before he leaned down and kissed me.

His lips pressed firmly against mine and I gripped him tightly. He kissed me deeply, and I responded in kind, just so happy that he was back with me. His tongue probed my lips and I opened for him, his tongue sweeping in.

He was back, he was here. And he cared for me.

And I cared for him, deeply.

We eventually broke off, both a little out of breath. James' smile warmed my heart like nothing I had ever seen before.

'You really missed me then!' James said, lifting his hand to cup my cheek.

I just smiled a little.

'So, what did you do with yourself yesterday?' He asked, still beaming.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to me. By sheer force of will, I pulled myself out of his arms and took his hand, as I led him out of the door, towards the book I had left on the front steps. He followed along eagerly.

The book was still sat there, with my letter sticking out the top. I picked it up and handed the note to him. He took it gratefully and opened it. His eyes flickered over the words. I watched as his brow crinkled with concentration. His pace sped up as he began to understand.

I lent down and picked up the book, opening it to page on the Fae. James's mouth had fallen open with shock.

'Marion, is this really…Is this true?' He asked.

I just nodded hopefully, showing him the page of the book. He held onto the book with one hand and the letter in the other. He read it frantically, looking between one and the other.

'So…So…It can be undone?' He asked. I shrugged, but smiled hopefully.

'Where did you find this?' He asked once he had finished reading the letter. I pulled the pencil out of my pocket and scribbled onto the corner of the letter.

 _It was right at the top of the shelf of history books._

'Ah-ha! See, history books do have their uses!' James said, giving me his usual smug smile. I just stuck my tongue out at him.

'So, how do we find him? I presuming we find him and get the curse to be undone?'

I just shrugged again. I had hoped he would know more than I did. I had no idea where to go from here.

'And what's this about your nightmare? And him dying?' He asked.

Sighing I thought about how best to explain it. I had tried on the letter, but clearly it wasn't quite clear enough.

So, picking up the pencil, I began to write on the back of the page.

 _That nightmare a week ago. He was there. He spoke to me about his death._

James read it, but looked at me pityingly.

'Marion, that was just a dream.'

I knew he was probably right, but there were far too many things in that dream that had seemed too lifelike. And there as some small part of my heart that knew that maybe it wasn't just a dream.

I shook my head at him.

'What else could it have been? It was only a nightmare.' James told me. 'I'm sorry, but it wasn't real.'

Taking a step back, I took a deep breath to control myself. I knew, I knew that it wasn't just a dream.

James reached for my hand.

'I'm sorry. But now we know this, we can figure out what we are going to do next. This curse might be broken before your year is up.'

He lifted my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

'You've managed to beat my surprise.' He said with mock anger on his face. 'Typical, I can never possibly compare to my wife.'

I just looked at him confused.

His smug smile returned to his face and he reached down to the bag he had dropped on the floor. Pulling out a small package wrapped in cloth.

'I saw it in the market and thought only of you.' He said, handing it to me.

My heart sped up. He had gotten me a present, a gift! I had never expected anything; he'd already given me so much. He had put a roof over my head, over my entire family. He had fed and housed all of us, he hadn't needed to buy me anything at all.

Gingerly, I unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small velvet pouch, dark red in colour. I opened the pouch and gazed at what lay inside.

One beautiful jewel shone back, glimmering in the light. I pulled it out of the pouch and held it up.

It was a necklace, one single jewel attached to a long thin golden chain.

An emerald.

The exact colour of my ball gown, and my wedding dress. It was cut into a flat circle and hung loosely on the chain.

My mouth fell open at the beauty of it. Even though it was simple, it was stunning. And I had never before owned anything so precious in my life.

It was mine! My husband had bought it for me.

'Do you like it?' He asked. He sounded so nervous, so unsure.

I found myself nodding without having to look up.

'Green always seemed to be your colour.' He joked.

Still frozen with amazement, I just stared at the lovely necklace in my hand.

'Are you just going to look at it, or are you going to try it on?' He asked. I snapped out of my daze, beaming him.

Before he had time to react, I lent up onto my tiptoes and kissed him, his arms finding their way to my waist.

I pulled back, and he had the gall to pout a little.

I just smirked and handed him the necklace, before turning around and pointing my neck. I expected his fingers to find their way there, but instead his lips did, kissing gently at the skin at the base of my neck. I almost gasped from the shock of it, my cheeks heating a little. He held me gently at my waist as he kissed his way up my neck to my cheek.

'I love it when you blush.' He whispered. That of course only made me blush more.

But he pulled back, and unfastened the necklace, looping his arms over my head so the jewel sat just under my collar bone. He expertly fastened the chain behind my hair, and pulled my hair out of it, letting it fall down my back. The jewel slipped a little so it was resting about two inches lower, just above the neckline of my dress. I turned around and tilted my head up so he could see it.

He just smiled and said. 'Yes, just as beautiful as always.'

I managed to blush even more, something I hadn't thought was possible. I lifted my hand and gave him the gesture for 'Thank you.' He just arrogantly tilted his head to one said and said 'Well, I am the greatest husband in the world.'

I smirked and picked up the pencil again.

 _Average at best._ I teased.

James peered over and stepped back in shock when he read it.

'How dare you!' He said, unable to keep the smile of his face. 'In fact, if you think that way, I'll take that necklace back!'

He took a daring step towards me, mock anger lining his face.

I stepped back, grinning like a contented cat.

'Marion, if you think I'm only an average husband, then I want that necklace back.' He said, each word dripping with sarcasm.

I only shook my head, and stepped back again.

He gave me one more second, narrowing his eyes, before effectively pouncing. But I knew it was coming and ran.

I turned and ran, a large smile on my face. James managed to catch up to me with a few steps, his strong arms encircling me. I barely had time to take a breath before James had spun me around and his lips were on mine once again. He kissed me deeply, pulling me in closely. My heart fluttered in my chest, beating hard against the beautiful emerald that hung around my neck.

He was back, and he cared deeply. And I felt so much for him. So much that I hadn't even let myself admit it. It hit me like a blow how happy I was, surrounded by him, being close to him.

His hand moved from my waist, up my back, until his finger fell through my hair, gripping just a little too tightly, as if he never wanted to let me go. I didn't mind one bit, as I was almost sure that I was holding onto his shoulders just as tightly. And I knew for certain that I never wanted to let him go, not even for another night.

We eventually broke apart, and he gave me such a smile.

'So, still think I'm only average?' He asked, kissing my cheek.

I shrugged playfully.

'Really?' He asked, kissing a little lower on my face.

I shrugged again, trying to maintain my composure that was slipping further away from me every second.

He continued to kiss my face, and started to make a trail down my neck. My cheek burned, and I found it almost impossible to breathe.

When he reached my collar bone, my knees almost gave way under me. Everything narrowed to the point where his lips connected with my skin. Biting my lip, I had to stop myself from groaning.

As soon as I realised that I had to stop myself, I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back. As much as it pained me to do it, it had to be done.

Silence, that was my first priority. It always had to be my first priority, until this curse was broken. And if I was struggling to contain myself, then I had to get myself away. Regardless of how much I didn't want it to end.

James looked confused and apologetic as I caught his eye, my hand still firmly on his shoulder, pushing him away.

I just shook my head at him, and releasing one hand to point to my throat, I tried to convey what I wanted to say.

I hated this.

Hated not being able to just explain simple things.

Every minute, there seemed to be something new that I wanted to speak aloud, just the little things. But I couldn't.

I hated this curse so much. I just wanted it to be over.

James continued to stare at me confused. I pointed to my throat again, but his brow just crinkled.

'I'm sorry, did I hurt you?' He asked, looking at my throat, where his lips had been only moments before.

I shook my head vigorously. Of course he hadn't hurt me, it had been one of the most pleasant sensations of my life.

'So…' He asked. 'Did you not like it?'

I shook my head again, before spotting the piece of paper that I had dropped without thinking about it earlier. I picked it up, and grabbed the pencil that had rolled a little way away. Scribbling the words in the blank corner of the page, I handed it to him.

 _We can't. I need to stay silent._

The look James gave me showed that my sentence confused him even more. Huffing, I took the paper back, and had to write it out in more explicit terms, my cheeks burning with embarrassment as I did.

 _It was nice. But I wanted to groan._

If it had been any other time, when my family were not cursed, I would never have dared write anything as forward as that. But I knew that I was past the point of embarrassment now, subtlety was not a way I could communicate anymore. If I wanted to get a point across, it had to be done honestly.

James just said. 'Oh.' When he saw the words.

I blushed and tilted my head down so I was staring at the floor, and not him.

'Sorry. I didn't think.' He admitted, reaching for my hand. His thumb traced idle strokes over the back of my hand.

I gave him a reassuring smile, and he pressed his lips softly to mine, chastely. He pulled back before anything could go further. The smug expression returned instantly to his face.

'Average indeed.' He tutted. 'Do you think average husbands can make you feel that?'

I simply rolled my eyes at him. His smile only grew.

'At least I know for certain that my wife is far, far above average.' He teased, causing even more blood to rush to my face. Even after five weeks of marriage, I still as not used to the compliments he gave me.

So instead, I pointed towards the kitchen, as it was well past midday, and our meal of bread and meats had been ready for a long time. James picked up his bag and together we walked to the kitchen to have our food.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Later on, when all of my family had returned to the house just before sunset, I finished the final touches on dinner. A swan sat across from me in the kitchen, honking to herself. I guessed she was just talking, but I still couldn't understand anything. It was more than likely just Clara telling me about her day. She reminded me of Amelia, my good friend in Milton. She would talk for hours and hours on end, how she did it was beyond me. Secretly, I wondered how well she would have managed with the year of silence. But to be fair, I hadn't thought I'd be able to do it, and had surprised myself with my resolve.

Clara continued to honk as I stirred the gravy, waiting for it to boil through. I just listened, not comprehending a single word.

The sun crawled ever lower in the sky, and the familiar golden glow of sunset filled the room, which was shortly followed by my sister's own golden glow as the magic surrounded her swan form, making her ever larger until she was stood before me as a human once more.

'Marion, did you hear a word I just said?' Were her first words to me.

I turned around, not stopping stirring the gravy.

I gestured with one hand that I don't understand.

'I said, there's a woman waiting for you. She understood me!'

My hand stopped stirring as I tried to figure out what she meant.

'She's just through the trees, over there. Said she wanted to see you and was waiting.'

A smile broke out across my face, and I gestured for Clara to take over stirring. She huffed a little in protest, but I didn't care. I ran out of the kitchen and out of the house before she could complain too much.

I didn't even grab a cloak or paper as I ran around the back of the house to the trees where Clara had indicated.

It was still just light enough to see by as I got ever closer and closer to the trees. I barely had just slipped past the first ones when I heard a loud shout.

'Marion!'

I turned to my left to see the source of the noise. A young woman stood in her usual trousers and brown cloak, smiling at me.

I walked towards Blanche with a large grin on my face and embraced her.

'Still staying quiet?' She asked. I nodded into her shoulder.

'Thought so. I hadn't heard anything else.' She told me, releasing me so I could look at her face. She looked exactly the same as she ever did, her long raven black hair tied back in a braid, her lovely hazel eyes showing how happy she was to see me. Her skin was still as pale as snow, even though she spent all of her time outside.

It was such a welcome sight, to see her again. I hadn't seen her since the day after my wedding. And oh, how I had missed her.

'So, how's life now? Your husband still behaving himself?' She asked, with a large grin. I nodded vigorously, taking her hand in mine. She looked down, a little surprised when I started to drag her towards the house. As there were no more servants, and only my family, there was no reason for her to hide. She was happily led along into the house, the sounds of my siblings reaching our ears before we even made it through the door.

The light from the house flooded our eyes as we walked in, and I closed the door behind us.

'Are you sure I'm safe here?' Blanche asked, looking around the large house, a little nervously.

I nodded. There was only my family in the house, she was completely safe.

Just then, a loud patter of footstep echoed around the room, followed by the shouts and screams of my two youngest brothers. Tom and Robbie came running down the main staircase, Tom chasing Robbie around. Both of them stopped when they saw Blanche in the doorway.

'Hello?' Tom asked, looking at her curiously.

'Hello.' Blanche replied, giving him a small smile.

'You're wearing trousers?' Robbie blurted out, and consequently received a smack from Tom.

'Yes, I am.' Blanche told him.

'But you're a girl!' Robbie cried, looking very confused by a woman who wears men's clothing.

'They happen to be more comfortable than dresses. I can't run in dresses.' Blanche told him.

'You run?' Tom asked her, equally as confused.

'Only to get away from the highborns I've robbed.' She admitted, with a roguish grin on her face.

Both of them just stood shocked.

'Like Robin Hood?' Robbie asked.

Blanche turned to smirk at me.

'So, everyone in your family knows the story?' She asked. I just nodded. After I had finished working at the manor and stayed at home for a year, I had read them the story to put them to sleep. Ella had given me the book when I had been fired.

'Yes, like Robin Hood.' Blanche told my brothers. Both of them looked a little in awe of her.

'Robbie, Tom, Gwen!' Daniel shouted from the kitchen.

My brothers didn't move, still staring at Blanche.

More footsteps, and it wasn't long before Daniel and Alexander were both stood in the hallways staring at Blanche too.

'Excuse me, I don't believe we've met.' Alexander said, 'Alexander Brown, and you are?'

'Blanche.' Was her curt reply. I watched as Alexander's eyes went wide as he finally beheld the woman he had been blindly shouting to.

'I take it that you are the one who has been informing me of the adventures of the Brown family.' She said, studying him.

He nodded. 'And you must be the wanted criminal who is Arry's friend?'

'Yes, that's me.' She joked, elbowing me slightly in the side.

'Well, pleased to meet you, finally.' He said.

'Where is everyone?' Came a shout from the dining room and James walked out, several napkins thrown over his shoulder. As soon as his gaze met Blanche's, he stumbled back, his face paling.

'You're back.' He muttered, and Blanche's face contorted into a wicked smile.

'I've come to check up on things.' She teased, but James just looked terrified.

Alexander seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the interaction between the two of them, his head turning back and forth between them.

'I trust everything is to your satisfaction?' James asked.

'I don't know. I haven't had chance to talk to Marion yet.' Blanche replied.

James just glanced towards me, his eyes wide. If the same thoughts were flying through both of our minds, then he was right to be worried. The only thing I could think of was the one thing I wanted to conceal from Blanche and my family. The fact that I shared a bed with my husband every night.

I gestured for Blanche to follow me to the dining room. If she was here, she may as well stay for dinner. Everyone looked a little confused until I found a neglected piece of paper and pulled the pencil out of my pocket and began to write.

 _Dinner? We have plenty of food?_

Blanche quickly read the words, and seemed to think about it for a moment.

'Well, haven't you turned into quite the lady. Already playing hostess!' She teased.

I looked briefly over her shoulder to find James staring at me, with a proud smile on his face. I just over exaggerated the gesture for thanks, and batted my eyelids like I had seen Lady Idiot do many times. Blanche smirked and let herself fall into the closest seat. I gestured for everyone else to sit and then ran out of the room to go and check on the food.

But before I could walk down the stairs, I felt a hand wrap around the top of my arm and pull me out of sight of the doorway.

'You never said she was coming.' James whispered, who still hadn't recovered his colouring.

I gave him the gesture for 'I don't know.' And hope he took it in the way of 'I didn't know.'

He released a long breath. 'I'm sorry. It took me a little by surprise that's all. She still scares me to death.'

I nodded. I knew that she still had that effect on him. So, I reached up on tiptoes and pressed a swift kiss to his cheek to try and calm him a little. The smallest shade of colour returned to his cheeks, and he had calmed enough to smile a little.

'Now, go on then, m'lady. If you are going to be the hostess after all.' He smirked. I squeezed his hand gently, and then walked off down to the kitchen. Clara was still there stirring the gravy.

'What's going on? All I heard was a lot of commotion.' She asked. I gestured for her to go upstairs and see, while I grabbed the wooden spoon and began to stir again. Clara bounded up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

I could hear the vague mumblings of a conversation happening above me in the dining room. I guessed it must have been my siblings introducing themselves to Blanche.

In almost no time at all, the dinner was ready, and I started to pile up the pies I had made and poured the gravy into the boat. I picked up the first tray, and began to carry it up the stairs. All of my family cheered when they saw it. It was after all, rather late at night, and we were all rather hungry.

I found everyone seated, with Blanche sat in my usual seat. James had a glass of wine in his hand, and looked like he was in desperate need of it. Blanche sat next to Robbie, and across from Alexander. All of my family were staring at her, most of them very confused.

I deposited the first tray and ran back down to the kitchen to grab the other one. I made it back upstairs to discover that most of the first tray had already disappeared, my family all greedily stuffing their faces.

James wasn't eating, still eyeing up Blanche wearily. She was simply lounging in the chair, picking at the pastry lazily. I set the second tray down, and fell into the final empty seat, right at the end of the table, at the foot across from James. Gwen and Tom were on my either side, happily munching away at their food.

'You never told us you knew Robin Hood, Arry.' Daniel said.

'I do have a name you know.' Blanche said.

'Yes, Robin.' Daniel teased.

I grabbed a pie for myself and began to started eating, the conversation lulling a little while we all ate.

James kept glancing at me wearily, and then looking at Blanche again. I knew him; usually he would attempt to make conversation, or at least a comment or two.

But we all sat, with the occasional whisper being passed amongst my siblings about who our new guest was.

'So, Bianca.' James started.

Blanche's head snapped towards him. James visibly fell back in his chair.

I simply sat confused as to her reaction.

'You told him!' Blanche shouted at me.

My mouth fell open in protest, but I closed it again almost immediately. Nine and a half months. I was too far in now to stop.

'She didn't tell me.' James offered. 'I worked it out.'

Blanche ignored him, and continued to stare at me.

'What did you say?'

I tried to communicate my innocence to her, but didn't have much success.

'She really didn't say anything. I happen to be quite good at figuring things out.' James boasted. Blanche gave him a wicked glare. Clara scoffed.

'So, what actually is your name, Blanche, Bianca, or Robin?' Clara asked, a little confused.

Blanche turned to look at her.

'I'm guessing you are Clara?' She asked her, staring at her.

Clara looked a little intimidated, which was not something that happened every day. Her gaze diverted, and she picked at her pie as she nodded.

'Oh, come on. Am I really that terrifying?' She asked. 'From all of Marion's stories, you don't sound like someone to be frightened easily.'

Clara looked up at that, glancing between me and Blanche. I just smiled at her.

'You know about me?' Clara asked.

'About all of you. So, let me get this right, You're Clara, so you must be Gwen.' She said, pointing to my youngest sister.

'Alexander, and you're Daniel. James I had already met.' Blanche said, pointing to each person in turn. 'That leaves Richard, Tommy and Robbie I think. But which of you is which?'

'I'm Tom, He's Robbie and that's Richard.' Tom said, gesturing.

'So what is your name?' Clara asked again.

'Marion calls me Blanche, but my real name is Bianca.' She admitted.

'A bit more than Bianca.' James muttered. I fully expected Blanche to berate him for that, but she didn't.

'Yes, my real name is Lady Bianca Knox. Daughter of Duke Thomas Knox.'

Alexander's jaw dropped.

'So, you're a highborn? You grew up in a palace?' He asked.

'Yes, a rather large palace.' She boasted. 'Lots of hidden corridors.'

My family looked rather confused by the woman sat at the table.

'Why are you wearing old clothes then?' Gwen asked.

'Because I don't live at the palace anymore. I live in the forest and rob highborns.' She said.

'So, you are Robin Hood?' Tom asked.

'Where's your merry men?' Daniel teased. 'And your Maid Marian?'

'I believe we already have someone called Marian at the table.' Blanche replied. 'But I could always do with some merry men. And there are several people here who would fit the bill.'

'I want to be Little John!' Robbie shouted, almost jumping up from the table.

'But I want to be Maid Marian!' Gwen pleaded, sticking her bottom lip out. 'Just because Marion has the same name, she always gets to be it!'

'I'll be Will Scarlett!' Tom said.

Blanche sat back and looked a little lost as to what to do now she had set them all off.

'I'm sure there will be plenty of merry men to go around.' Daniel said, 'But I don't think we're going to be running off to be outlaws any time soon.'

'But we were outlaws. Last month.' Richard said quietly. It was the first thing he had said all day, at least in front of me.

All of us turned to look at him. He only shrank back in his chair.

'How?' Alexander asked.

'We were living in that house. But we didn't own it. Or pay for food. We were hiding, like outlaws.' Richard explained.

I hadn't really thought of it that way, but what Richard had said made a lot of sense. We had been living like outlaws, even though we had done nothing wrong. We had simply had the bad fortune to be cursed. All that time in the cottage, we had been trespassing, hence the large hunter who had appeared and thrown me out.

The memory of that day was still fresh in my mind. My wedding day, the day my entire life had changed. It had quite possibly been the longest day of my life. I had been thrown out, proposed to, and married all within the space of a few hours.

'Does that mean we're going to get chased by the evil sheriff?' Gwen asked.

'No, we're quite safe from the sheriff here.' Alexander reassured her.

'I've got defenses against the evil sheriff. They've been here for years.' James told her with a smirk. 'He won't be getting anywhere near us.'

'She.' Blanche mumbled under her breath.

James looked a little confused at her words so she took a large breath.

'She. The Sheriff in this version is a she. Nerissa.'

I had never heard her speak the name of her step mother before, not ever. Blanche had always referred to her as 'That Bitch.' Or 'Stepmother.' Until now, I never actually knew the name of the Duchess.

No one spoke. My family just continued to eat. Even James didn't say anything about the Duchess.

'So, married life?' Blanche asked me.

I averted my gaze to stare at my food. I was not about to have this conversation, in front of my youngest siblings. Or any of my siblings in fact.

James looked up, nervously. He watched the two of us with weary eyes.

I just shrugged, and motioned for 'Later.'

Blanche looked a little confused, until Alexander translated my gestured for her.

We finished dinner rather quickly, and Daniel, Clara and Alexander cleared up the plates and cutlery. I motioned for Blanche to follow and the two of us went into the green drawing room. There were piles and piles of paper and ink in that room so I would at least be able to communicate with a little more ease. I sat down next to the table while Blanche closed the door behind us. I could almost imagine James looking at the closed door, and running his hand through his hair in nervousness. He did it anytime he got a little bit scared.

'Come on then.' Blanche said, lounging back in the chair like she owned it. 'I want to know everything.'

I just raised my eyebrows at her. She smirked.

'James is behaving himself I trust.' She asked.

I nodded.

'Oh.' She said, looking a little disappointed. 'I was looking forward to tormenting him.'

I picked up the quill and began to write.

 _Sorry that you can't punish my husband for keeping his promises._

I almost threw it at her, and she caught it playfully.

'How could you Marion Brown! It's all I've been thinking about since I was last here.'

A small smile graced my lips as I wrote;

 _It's Marion Thorne now. Married Remember._

'No, you don't suit it. You'll always be Marion Brown to me.' She said. 'And you're one to talk, you still refer to me as Blanche.'

 _I like Blanche. Bianca is a high born lady. Blanche is my friend._

'Well, Both Blanche and Bianca want to kick James to high hell for what he did.'

I gave her a look that begged her to drop the subject, and she held her hands up to surrender.

I pointed to her, as if to ask her what she has been doing.

'Me? Just the usual. Robbing Highborns, disrupting the peace, plotting ways to kill that bitch.'

I smirked. She hadn't changed one bit since I had met her.

'Come on then, write me an essay on everything that's happened.' She told me, gesturing to the blank pages before me.

I wrote and wrote and wrote. I told her about the horrid servants and the book burning incident. I told her Ella's visit and the book I had found in the library. The only thing I consciously omitted was the fact that James and I had been sharing a bed for over a week.

Blanche made various comments as she read the many pages I tossed her way. Some of which were too impolite to repeat. She even commented on my new necklace, the emerald that hung around my neck. She told me that she used to have a jewel that was very important to her, her mother's ruby ring. She told me how the Duchess had stolen it from her.

I enjoyed just being in her company. It was more conversation than I'd had with another woman in a very long time. Even when Ella came to visit, I hadn't had a particularly long talk with her. She and Christopher had talked to James for a long time, while I was sat with baby Jonathan. They hadn't meant to exclude me, I knew that, but it had ended up that way.

But with Blanche, she was talking to me, and only me. I'd missed being able to just talk to someone. And though what we were doing wasn't exactly a conversation, it was as close to one as I was going to get for a while. Each moment I was reminded of how much I hated this curse, and how irritating it was not being able to simply reply to the things Blanche said to me. But it was better than nothing.

I had missed her. Truly missed her. And we managed to spend nearly two hours in each other's company, catching up and talking and writing about things. I glanced at the clock, and it was well past midnight by the time I was yawning and Blanche was suggesting we call it a night. I invited her to stay if she wanted to, after all we had three servant bedrooms that were not in use. She declined and said she had better not, and she had a safe place to sleep in the forest anyway. I almost insisted, but I knew better than to argue with her at this point.

'I'll keep a look out; in case I hear anything.' She told me. 'Maybe I see what I can find out about faeries. I have my ways of getting information when I need it. There will be a way to break this curse, just you wait.'

I embraced her, fiercely clinging to hope that somehow there would be a way out. I wanted this to be over more than anything in the world.

Blanche gave me one last squeeze.

'I'll be back soon. I don't know when, but I'll come and see you again. And my offer still stands, if he tries anything at all, you get word to be and I will gladly hand his ass to him.'

I nodded, but yawned again. Blanche chuckled a little and opened the door. I walked her out of the house, and waved to her as she took off into the dark. I watched her go with a little sorrow, hoping she would be safe. After the state she had been in the last time I had seen her, I just wanted her to be alright.

I wanted so much to change. I wanted this curse to be broken, I wanted Blanche to no longer be on the run, I wanted to be able to have a normal conversation with Ella.

And I wanted James to… to…

I barely knew how to finish that sentence. What exactly did I want from him? What was I expecting?

A very small part of me wanted to submit to the fantasy of it. Where he would sweep me off my feet and fall madly in love with me and we'd live happily ever after, despite how things started. But after the mad whirlwind that had been the first month of our marriage, I wasn't sure if I was completely ready for all of that. We hadn't been struck by lightning like Ella and Christopher had been, so the fairy tale ending didn't seem right, not just yet anyway.

Blanche disappeared fully from sight, and I wrapped my arms around myself to keep from the cold. What did I want? From him? I knew there was no rush to decide anything yet, but I wanted to know for myself what I wanted.

I closed the door and made my way upstairs to my bedroom. I was surprised to find it empty, no James in sight. I guessed he had gone to sleep in his own bed while waiting for me. I changed out of my dress and into my nightgown quickly, removing my new necklace, my mind still spinning with everything Blanche had said and my own thoughts.

I sighed and fell onto the bed. What did I want? Why was it so hard to simply know where I was? Why was everything so complicated?

I dragged myself up and blew out the candles, accepting the fact that James must be asleep already, and I'd have to sleep by myself tonight. But as the darkness descended, I noticed a small sliver of light coming from under his door, indicating that he was probably still awake.

I wrapped a robe around me to keep out the cold, and made my way over to his door. Taking a deep breath, I reached up and knocked lightly on the door.

'Marion?' Came a voice from the other side. I pushed down on the handle and opened the door. James was stood on the far side of the room, his hands braced on either side of the mantle piece. His head turned to look at me when the door opened. His expression was pained, and weary. I'd never seen him like that before.

'Has she gone?' He asked, the fear still evident in his voice.

I nodded and took a step towards him, closing the door behind me.

He let out a long breath of relief.

'So, how did your talk go?'

The corners of my mouth perked up and I moved to his desk where there was always a pile of paper.

 _Considering you're still alive, how do you think it went?_

I fully expected James to come over to the desk and read over my shoulder as he usually did, but I was mistaken. He remained by the fire place, but stared at me.

I picked up the paper and offered it to him. He extracted one of his hands from the marble to grasp the paper.

He didn't even so much as smirk at the comment. He just let it drop to his side.

Something was wrong, he always teased me, always took every opportunity to taunt and flirt with me. I knew he had been scared of Blanche, but not quite like this.

I placed my hand on his cheek, cupping his face, trying with my limited means to get him to tell me what was wrong. We stood in silence for a few moments, before James's gaze dropped to the floor.

'Why was she here?' He whispered.

I took a step back.

'She just waltzes in here, regardless of the danger to all of us, and whisks you away for the evening. Couldn't she at least warn us?' He told me.

I took another step back. I couldn't believe I was hearing this! Blanche was my friend, and had come to my aid long before he had. And now he was complaining about her visit, on the first time I had seen her in over a month.

He looked confused when I moved, as if he expected me to agree with him.

'What?' He asked. 'It's the truth.'

I just stared at him incredulously.

I grabbed another piece of paper from on top of the desk and wrote;

 _She is my friend. I may see her when I choose._

I didn't even bother giving him the paper. I just left it on his desk and walked towards the door. But James moved faster, blocking my path until he had read what I had written.

'No, Marion. I know she is, but…'

I gestured 'What?' to him. I saw no problem with my friend coming to see me. My friend who was perfectly innocent, other than robbing, and had been accused wrongly, visiting me.

'She…She…Doesn't…She hates me.' He admitted.

I shook my head at him. Despite what Blanche said, I was almost sure she didn't hate James. It was more of a joke, rather than actual dislike. If Blanche really hated him, I didn't think she'd let me be anywhere near him.

'I thought…that maybe…she'd get to you.' He told me, his head falling forward.

I stood, transfixed and confused by what he said. I had no idea what he meant by 'Get to me.' I may be silent, but I was my own person, capable of making my own decision and forming my own opinions. Did he think that because I could not speak, that I was so easily swayed by others?

'You clearly hold her in high regard, you don't bother with people who aren't worth your time and attention.' He said. I just waited for him to continue.

'And I know she's important to you. So when you two went off to talk alone, I thought maybe she would try her hardest to push you away, from me.'

His head hung a little lower, his gaze still on the floor.

'I don't know what was said, I wasn't listening. But I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if you left. If you decided to listen to her and just go.'

I wasn't entirely sure I was breathing.

'I don't know what I would do if you left.' He said quietly.

I hadn't thought of it that way. Even though that was nothing like the conversation I had just had, to James it seemed like a real possibility. That she would persuade me to leave him.

Reaching forward a little, I took his hand in my own. His gaze shifted so he was looking at out conjoined hands.

'You'll think I'm an idiot now, for thinking that. But I panicked Marion, and I'm sorry.'

His forehead rested on my own, and he took a deep breath.

'You're not going, are you?'

I shook my head as much as I was able. Of course I wasn't going anywhere. Besides, I had nowhere else to go. I highly doubted we could return to Rault until the curse was broken, and Milton was out of the question too, with seven animal siblings. But more than that, I didn't want to leave. I liked it in the manor in Arton. Not just the fact that I was living like a highborn, but I liked living with James.

I really liked it. More than I ever thought I would.

I sighed, and moved my other hand up so it was behind his neck. Pulling him towards me, I pressed my lips to his, in confirmation of my decision to stay. James took a moment to respond, but when he did, he responded fiercely. He pulled me tightly, kissing my deeply. I couldn't think beyond where his lips connected with mine. I had missed him last night, unable to sleep without him beside me, and now he was back and here in my arms.

He moved his lips over mine again and again and again. I barely even noticed his hands rubbing up and down my back. It was exactly where I wanted to be, where I always wanted to be.

We broke apart eventually, both of us needing to get air into our lungs. But we didn't let go of each other. We stood still holding on, but breathing deeply. His forehead rested on my own again.

'You are staying, with me?' He whispered. I nodded. Of course I was.

A yawn rose in my throat, and I was unable to keep it hidden. James smiled a little, and gestured towards his bed.

'Are you sleeping here tonight, or your own room?' He asked, pulling back a little so he could see my face.

I pointed to his bed. After the night before when I had tossed and turned, unable to sleep, I wanted to stay with him.

His smile widened a little and I moved so I could climb into the bed. James walked around the room and blew out the candles. When the last one was extinguished, he almost ran to the bed and jumped on top. The bed bounced a little, and I almost laughed at him being so childish. But I bit my lip and kept silent. James shuffled until he was under the covers with me. His arms wrapped around my middle and pulled me close, my back pressed against his front, his heat seeping over me.

'I missed you, last night.' He whispered into my ear. 'It was strange not having you there.'

I nodded, to try and convey that I had the same problem. He didn't appear to get the message. There was no snide comment, no teasing like he would have done if he understood.

'Sleep evaded me for hours, it just wasn't the same.' He said.

My cheeks heated. It had been the same for me, unable to sleep without him. I had been awake until I held his pillow tightly to me.

'But, I'm home now, so hopefully I shouldn't have this problem again.' He told me, pulling me in even tighter to him. I snuggled closed to him, tiredness already creeping in around me. I'd never felt safer, or more at peace, than when he held me like this.

I felt him shift behind me, and his leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.

'Goodnight, wife.' He said.

The weariness that had settled within me began to take control, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. It wasn't too long before I finally succumbed to sleep, held tightly in James's arms; secure and safe and loved.

* * *

 **AN-** Hello Everyone. Just wanted to thank you all again for reading (I honestly cant' believe there are people who have stayed with this story this long! I've done a quick word count for the entire series so far, and it's at about 339K, which is insane!) So I can't thank you all enough.

I realise that having a week between chapters is long, but unfortunately, I am still a student, and I have exams coming up this month, so I can't write as much as I'd like to. There is enough chapters written already though so it shouldn't disrupt the posting time.

And just to point something out, hopefully next week some time (after chapter 5), I will begin to post the next AHC instalment. It's a rather long one, and it's also fairly crucial to the plot line. Marion doesn't get to see this thing happen, but it certainly effects her. There will be an explanation in a future chapter of this, but if you want the actual story of what happened, you might want to read that, (it also might give some other hints as to other things that are going to happen...). It's rather long, as it was supposed to be a one shot, and it turned into a 21K story, so I've split it into 3 parts. I quite enjoyed writing it, and I hope you will like it (fingers crossed!)

Anyway, sorry for this long rant, but I haven't put any author's notes on the other chapters, so it's kind of been building up. As ever, I would love to hear from all of you. Please leave reviews on this chapter, or any chapter. You have no idea how it puts a smile on my face when I get the email! Thank you all once again, and I hope you continue to enjoy!

generic-fangirl.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**

Four days later, I was awoken by a strange sensation. My head shook as I tried to get it away from me, but my eyes fluttered open to see a lot of hair before me. I pushed James's hair aside, and he lifted his head to meet my gaze. He had been kissing my cheek. He beamed at me, and ran his hand over my cheek.

'Good morning.'

I smiled and pulled him down so he was kissing me on the lips. He groaned a little as we kissed in the early morning sun.

'Well, Happy birthday to me.' He said once we parted. 'I'm just collecting on that promise.'

It was now the second week of July, and James's twenty-fourth birthday. He'd been looking forward to it for the last two days. He made several comments about how nice it would be to have his first birthday as a married man. And he had already made me promise that part of his birthday gift would be many kisses from me. I had no objection to it.

'Promising way to start the day.' He teased. 'Hopefully it will continue in this way.'

I shrugged a little, and he laughed. Then, he leaned down and kissed me again. We only broke apart when the animalistic sounds of my siblings moving around became too loud to ignore. We hadn't gotten up to open the door to let them outside yet, so they were probably getting a little restless. James groaned when I pushed him away and tried to get out of bed, but his arms encircled me from behind and he pulled me back down, pressing his lips to my neck.

'Not yet, another few minutes.' He begged. I shook my head and managed to extract myself from him.

'It's my birthday. Don't I have special privileges for today?' He moaned, wrapping his hand around my wrist. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew that my siblings would not thank me for it. Regardless of what day it was.

I lifted his hand from my wrist, and pressed a swift kiss to the back of his hand, before letting it drop. He slumped back onto the bed, and I wrapped my robe around me. Making sure to leave by going back through the door to my room so my family wouldn't suspect anything, I blew James a kiss as I left, closing the door behind me. Running down the staircase I saw five of my siblings stood waiting at the door. Alexander, Daniel, Tom, Robbie and Gwen. Or at least, a squirrel, raven, fox, fawn and mouse. As usual, Clara and Richard were sleeping in. They all perked up when they saw me hurrying towards the door.

I gave them all a wave good morning, and then pushed the door open, allowing them all out into the world. They all scurried and flew off into different direction, but all of them disappeared past the tree line. I knew they spent a lot of time by a small lake that lay only a few minutes walk away in the forest.

I propped the door open, leaving it so Clara and Richard would be able to leave the house without getting me to open the door.

The sun was bright and warm, as it should be for the second week of July. It was still fairly early in the morning, just after seven, but already it had the makings of a wonderfully warm day.

A door opened above me, and I glanced up to see James leaning over the banister, smiling at me.

'Have they all gone?' He asked, with a large roguish grin.

I shook my head and held up 5 fingers.

'Let me guess. Clara is asleep, and so is…Gwen, no. Richard!'

I nodded.

'So, no one else is awake?' He teased.

I shook my head, beaming up at him.

He didn't say anything in response, but moved back from the banister and I heard the door to his room open. I wasted no time in making my way back up the stairs, and along the corridor to his room. He was already waiting for me, at the door, holding it open like a gentleman.

I feigned flattery and over exaggerated my thanks as I walked past. He just grinned. The door had barely closed when I felt him wrap his arms around me from behind, spin me around and kiss me. His fingers tangled in my hair, just as mine wove into his. It was lovely, and sweet and soft. It grew deeper, taking away both of our breaths. I gripped him just as tightly as he held me.

We broke apart eventually, but his hands didn't leave my skin.

'We have to go, don't we?'

I nodded reluctantly. There were still things to do, especially as there were a few people arriving to wish my husband a happy birthday. Christopher and Ella were due to come, as was his two other roommates from Ashburne, Antony and Philip. Today happened to be the day that they met on, apparently mainly to reminisce about a certain incident that had happened when Christopher got a little too drunk. I don't think that Ella quite knew exactly what had transpired, but I did.

James gave me one last quick kiss, before finally releasing me so we could both go and get dressed for the day. I was in charge of food, and James was in charge of practically everything else. The whole thing shouldn't have taken too long, but James was still unused to doing housework, and therefore took considerably longer to get things ready than I did. Sometimes, there were perks of being an ex-servant.

I pulled on a cream coloured muslin dress, brushed my hair back and tied it up. It was thin and airy, perfect for a hot summer day. Making my way down to the kitchen, I began to start making breakfast for the two of us, just some porridge. I boiled the water over the stove, and added the oats and a dash of honey for James, he liked it sweet. I poured it into the two waiting bowls, and picked up the tray. I made quick work of the stairs, and before too long, both of us we sat, eating, while James went over the last few details that he needed to attend to.

Usually, he had a large celebration in the hall, dancing and drinking and general merriment. Highborns came to wish him a happy birthday, and feasted off his generosity. But this year, James had decided to forgo the large celebration. He had said that he just wanted those who mattered to him. So, his Ashburne roommates, Ella, me and my family.

Therefore, I had to make dinner for thirteen. Not including Baby Jonathan, who I guessed would be asleep by the time we would be sitting down to eat. There were a fair amount of carrots and potatoes that needed peeling. James simply had beds to make up. Some of my siblings were generously giving up their rooms for the night, so Ella, Christopher, Jonathan, Antony and Philip would have somewhere to sleep. I briefly debated with James that I give up my room, as it wasn't in use anyway, but then that would involve telling Alexander where exactly I had been sleeping for the last two weeks, and I was not ready to face his wrath, not yet. Although nothing had happened, I knew he would still explode.

Even after a month and a half of marriage, I was still a maiden. I wasn't complaining, I still didn't think I was completely ready for that sort of thing, and especially while I still couldn't speak. But I had done the Maths in my head, and Ella was already pregnant by the time she was this far into her marriage. Only just pregnant, but still pregnant. Myself and James hadn't gone any further than simply kissing.

Breakfast finished, and I cleared up the plates, and carried them downstairs. I fully expected James to go off and tend to the bedrooms, but instead he followed me down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I huffed playfully and turned to face him, with mock confusion on my face.

'I don't quite know what your definition of 'A lot of kisses' is,' James started, taking a step towards me. 'But to me, that would imply at least several every hour.'

'And since I have things to attend to, I won't see you for another couple of hours.' He teased. I smirked.

'Therefore, I have no choice to but to collect them now.' He said, taking another step closer to me. He was only a matter of inches away, his usual smug expression lining his face.

I only shrugged in response, as he closed the distance, his hand trailing up my arms gently, until he gripped my shoulders and lowered his lips to mine.

Several kisses he had said. What we did was no several kisses. There were too many to count. They started on my lips, and moved over my face, my cheeks, my nose. Then they trailed down my jaw to my neck, and still lower to my collar bone.

I wasn't complaining, not by any means. But he definitely underestimated the amount of kisses that passed between us.

Eventually, I almost had to push him away; we did have actual things to do today, and this was stopping us from doing them.

He groaned in frustration when I finally got him to stop, but gave me a daring wink and left the room saying 'To be continued.' The blood rose to my face before I could stop it. In a pleasant way though.

Turning back around, I picked up the bowls and began to fill it with water and began to wash up. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Evening arrived, and the sound of a carriage making its way down the front drive. The cool summer breeze ruffled the hem of velvet dress. The emerald James had given me when he returned hung around my neck, as it had done for the last week. I only ever took it off to sleep. It didn't exactly match the burgundy colour of my dress, but I didn't care. It was a gift from James, so I was not going to take it off.

The carriage approached as it had done the week before. I knew exactly who sat inside. It was only further proved to me when the window was dropped and a familiar feminine hand began to wave.

It rounded the corner and pulled to a stop, and Ella, Christopher and Jonathan climbed out of the carriage. Ella beamed at me, as she set Jonathan down on the ground, and held his hand. He took a few tentative steps towards me, wobbling a little and clinging to his mother's hand.

I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my face when I saw him walking. Jonathan began to giggle a little, and tried to speed up towards me. But his foot missed the ground, and he stumbled forward, his mother pulling him back upright.

'Slowly. You have to be careful!' Ella told her son. He didn't seem phased by it though, and tried to speed up again, moving his tiny legs back and forth, swaying from side to side.

'He'll get the hang of balancing shortly.' Ella said. 'And he's learning very quickly. He'll be off running before too long, and then what shall I do? He'll become a little terror when he's independent.'

She reached me, and Jonathan gave up on walking, and lifted his arms up, his mother picking him up.

'Hello Marion.' She said, embracing me with her other side. I just clung to her in response, still not able to actually speak to her.

Jonathan babbled a lot of nonsense, and I just smiled and nodded at him, Ella responding with words, usually about how clever he was.

'Is that my godson I hear?' James shouted as he walked out of the front door of the house to see our newly arrived guests.

'Yes, he's very excited to see you!' Christopher told him, taking his son from Ella.

'Hello you little monster!' James said, tapping the end of his nose. Jonathan babbled a little more.

'And happy birthday to you!' Ella said, embracing James.

'Marion asked me to ask you; how are you feeling? With the baby and everything.' He asked.

'I'm good. I'm feeling a lot better. A lot less sickness.' She said.

I pointed inside, and the five of us began to make our way towards the drawing room.

Once we were all inside, Christopher set Jonathan down, and turned to face me and James, with a rather serious expression on his face.

'We're not quite sure how you will take this, but we have news.' He said. I didn't even have time to respond when James hand encircled mine, gripping it tightly.

'What about?' James asked him.

'About the faerie.' Ella said, taking a seat.

My heart sped up and began fluttering inside my chest.

'I know it's only been a week since we were last here, but we've done a little digging, and yesterday we received news of him.' Ella told us.

I didn't move, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. What if he was nearby? What if he tried to come after me again? What if he was watching me, enjoying every moment of my silent misery?

I wanted him nowhere near me.

But, on the other hand.

There was one thing, out of everything; that I wanted to know. And it wasn't even why.

It was about the dream.

I wanted to know if the dream had been real, or if it meant something, or if it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. It might well have just been my mind giving me what I craved, an apology. He had wanted forgiveness from me. He had told me that I had been suffering for a reason.

 _To save the most._

That is what he had said. I still had no idea who I was saving, if anyone. I was only silent to help my family, and they were only seven children. 'To save the most' implied that I was somehow sparing many, many people from something, but I had no idea what.

'So, what do you know?' James asked for me.

'He's paid a visit to Lord Knighton.' Christopher said. 'Or at least, his new wife.'

My brow furrowed a little at the mention of it.

'We don't know much, only little bits and pieces of rumor.' Ella offered. 'But he apparently arrived at their castle, and walked straight into her room. Lady Annette is in her final month of her pregnancy, so is bedridden most of the time. But he just walked in and walked out again a few minutes later. No one knows what was said, but Lord Knighton is employing more guards, arming them, preparing for something. We just don't know what.'

It took a moment for the words to sink in.

Who was Lord Knighton? Or Lady Annette? And what did he do to them. I understood the need to employ more guards, and arm them. In fact, if I had been in a position to do that when my siblings had been cursed, then I almost certainly would have. But I had not been, and so we had fled.

'Were they cursed?' James asked.

'No, no sign of any magic, only a conversation I believe. He just walked in, and walked out. But we don't know what was said, only that it scared the life out of Lady Annette.' Christopher said.

That didn't seem like him at all. To just walk into a castle and not curse anyone. Granted I didn't know the faerie very well, and had only ever had one interaction with him, but from what very little I knew of him, he took delight in cursing people.

Or at least he did.

 _My time is coming to an end._

He had also said that to me in the dream. Maybe he had changed?

But this was still very odd.

'Are you sure it is the same one?' James asked. 'The same Faerie?'

'I don't know; we didn't see him. But according to the rumors, he wore long brown robes, and had a long grey knotted beard.' Ella said, glancing at me, as if for confirmation.

I nodded. That was him. Part of me wondered if he possessed another change of clothes, or if he wore those robes all the time. I wouldn't like to be the person who washed them if he only possessed them.

James released my hand as he sank into the chair next to him. I remained standing, still trying to bend my mind around what I had just been told.

I had only seen him once, I knew I should not be drawing conclusions from my first impression of him, but I had nothing else to go on.

Or did I?

Had I met him before?

Something in my temple began to pulse a little, growing in pressure with every passing second. Like something was trying to push its way towards the front of my mind. Something had been kept back, hidden, locked away. The pulsing grew larger and larger, and my hand went to my head, in a feeble attempt to push the pain back.

It's felt like claws now, digging into my mind. Trying to break free, pushing forward, begging me to remember.

Then, it pushed through.

He appeared.

The image of the Faerie appeared before my vision, his cold golden eyes staring directly at me. The golden light that was his magic dripped from his fingertips in those familiar ribbons of light I was so used to seeing.

I could see him, at the moment when he was cursing my family.

Only it wasn't.

I had seen him like this before, not when my brothers and sisters were tied up like animals.

I was seeing him curse someone else.

Suddenly, the world around me fell away and I was stood staring at the faerie, surrounded by a large richly decorated room.

I was no longer in the manor.

I was in a Ballroom.

And as I turned to my left, I saw a large ball of golden light, the ribbons turning and wrapping around someone within.

And next to the light.

Seven people.

I didn't have to look at them all to know there were seven of them.

I didn't look at the rest of them. My gaze was fixed on the final person in the line. The one who was furthest away from me.

The only one who was staring directly at me.

My heart exploded. My eyes filled with tears. My soul wanted to soar.

As I beheld the face of a ginger haired young man, who was staring at me with beautiful blue-green jewel like eyes.

I didn't know what it was, but something inside me wanted to run to him. Something wanted to scream and weep and yell, just to be near him.

He didn't move, not one single muscle.

We just stared at each other.

And I could have stayed there forever, staring at the lovely red haired stranger who I felt I knew.

My heart knew him. Every fiber of my being screamed out to my head, begging me to remember.

But I did not know who he was.

I tried to take a step towards him, and the corner of his mouth tilted upwards into a small smile.

'My love.' He whispered.

And then everything fell to black.

* * *

'Marion? MARION!'

 _There were shouts. Someone was shouting my name._

'Marion, wake up! You have to wake up!'

 _The darkness writhed around me, pulling me under. But I clawed at it, trying to pull myself out. It pressed on me, black and inky and thick_.

'MARION!'

 _The voice, I tried to focus on the voice. Use it to pull me out of the darkness._

 _But the word ended, and my grip began to falter again, as the black pushed all around me, suffocating me, drowning me._

 _I was sinking, further and further down into the darkness that went I knew not where. Endless black and silence and cold._

 _And I couldn't stop it._

 _Down, down, down._

 _I kept falling._

 _Falling away from that voice which had cried out my name._

 _I thought I heard it again, but I was too far away._

 _I couldn't reach it. Only blackness._

 _Fighting it didn't work._

 _So I just sank. More darkness, more cold, more nothingness._

 _And I accepted it. And Succumbed._

* * *

A small ray of light shone through my closed eyelids. It hurt to move my eyes; they shuddered and rolled around in their sockets.

The pain in the back of my head was annoying. It wasn't too bad that I couldn't think, but it lingered, just above my right eye. I had always hated headaches.

The light was now beginning to hurt. I'd been in darkness, and the light made me want to turn away. I'd spent…. How long had I spent in the dark?

Had I fainted, again?

What had happened?

Pulling my neck muscles, and almost cringing with the effort, I turned my head away from the light.

My hair brushed against the soft pillow it had been laying on, the sound a sort of soft scratching.

That was definitely a pillow. And I felt warm too. Like someone had wrapped a blanket around me.

Where was I?

Slowly, I peeled back the lids of my eyes, and blinked, clearing away the water.

My bedroom.

I was in my bed, looking at the wardrobe and desk. Although it was still light outside, I could tell it was nearing sunset. It must have been late evening, at least.

I tried to sit up. Pulling my hands backwards, I was going to push down and sit up.

But I found I couldn't.

My right hand was being held down.

No, not held down. Simply held.

I looked towards the window, and saw a young man, clasping onto my hand, his head body bent over the edge of the bed. He sat in the chair next, but he was looking directly at the ground.

I knew that hair, knew who sat next to me.

My husband, James.

I tried to pull my hand a little out of his, and the effect was instantaneous.

His head snapped up, his eyes flying straight to mine. A surprised sort of sigh came out of his mouth, as the corners of his lips curled upwards.

'You're awake!' He cried, clutching my hand even tighter. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

'I thought… We didn't know… You just…'

He left out another relieved sigh.

'How are you feeling?' He asked, gently.

I pushed myself up to a sitting position, but then instantly regretted it. A surge of pain flew through my head, and I had to lift my hand to press down on it slightly.

'Does it hurt?' He asked. 'Just nod or shake. Still no talking remember.'

I nodded a little.

'Where?'

Pointing to my head, I noticed that my neck was a little sore too. Rubbing it slightly helped ease a little of the tension.

James stood from the chair and grabbed a wet hanker chief that had been lying in some cold water. He squeezed it out gently, and then folded it and moved back over to the bed.

'This might help.' He said, trying to get me to lie back down again. I did so, and he softly placed the cold cloth on my forehead, soothing it a little.

I let out a long sigh of my own, closing my eyes against the pain.

'You gave us all quite a fright.' James said, taking my hand in his again. 'You just dropped. You were fine one minute, and the next, you just swayed and dropped. Your eyes were open though, but I don't think you could see us, could you?'

I shook my head.

I hadn't seen him. Only the faerie.

And the ginger haired boy.

Again, I had seen both the faerie and the boy.

'I know this happened just after the wedding, but this time it seemed to be worse. You looked like you were going to scream or something; but your eyes just rolled around and you just…disappeared.'

I swallowed. What had happened?

'I couldn't get through to you.' James said, his voice breaking a little. 'You just lay there, as still as death.'

I turned a little to face him. He was blinking away something in his eyes.

'Ella started screaming, and I shouted, but you wouldn't respond. Not to anything. I thought… I thought you had…'

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.

I knew what he had thought.

'Christopher was the rational one. He checked your pulse and said you were fine. So, I carried you up here, and here we are.'

He took a deep breath.

'I have to ask, and please don't take this the wrong way, but this has happened before. Do you maybe need to see a physician, or someone to see if there is something we can do? Because this isn't normal Marion. And I don't ever want to have to go through that again.'

The pain was still pressing on my head, making it hard for me to keep my eyes open. But I endured against it to look at him.

His face was pale, and his eyes full of worry.

Worry for me.

And there was a slight reddish tinge around his eyes, as if he had been crying.

Out of fear for me.

My heart wanted to soar. I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around him. I wanted to admit what I was feeling.

But the irritating silence and pain kept me from doing that.

I shrugged a little at James's question. Maybe there was something the matter with me. Something that was making me faint like this. He was right, this was not normal. Not in the slightest.

He reached down and kissed the back of my hand again.

'Alright, I'll sort something out tomorrow.' He said kindly.

His lovely green eyes shone with what I thought might be unshed tears, but I couldn't be sure.

The cold cloth on my head was beginning to make the headache dissipate, just a little, and I could already feel colour coming back to my face.

'Why can I not have one single birthday where someone isn't sick?' James muttered under his breath. I smirked a little. He had told me of the time that Christopher had a little too much wine, and had to face the consequences.

I lifted my free hand, and gestured; _I'm sorry._

He gave me a reassuring smile. 'Don't be. It's not your fault.'

Pushing myself up a little, I waited for the pain to hit me again, but it didn't. Just a little dizziness, but that was all.

'Do you want me to fetch Ella? She made me promise to get her when you awoke. She almost made camp in here, refusing to leave you, but Christopher convinced her otherwise. Antony arrived about an hour ago, so they are entertaining him with Jonathan.'

I nodded a little. I know if Ella had done what I had just done, then I would be frantic with worry for her.

James gave my hand a squeeze, and then stood to walk to the door.

But I held on. I don't quite know what compelled me to do so, but I didn't want to let him go.

He looked down to our entwined hands and then back up to me.

I lifted my other hand and gestured; _Wait._

And he did so.

Patting the empty space on the bed beside me, I motioned for him to sit next to me. He just nodded and walked around the bed, and let himself sit on his side of the bed, his back pressed against the headboard.

I shifted across slightly, so that our sides were touching, and then he lifted his arm up and around me, encircling my shoulders. He pulled me in tightly, my head resting on his shoulder, and his cheek lay on the top of my head.

'I was so worried.' He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. 'You just fell, and all I could think was… that you had… were… gone.'

I pressed myself a little tighter into him. I couldn't imagine… Could even dare to think what it would have been like if our situations had been reversed. If he had just dropped from standing up.

The whole idea filled me with dread. But it was not even worth considering. Our situations had not been reversed, so I would never have to deal with that.

James thumb rubbing lightly at the top of my arm.

'Nine and a half months.' He whispered. 'You only have nine and a half months left to go.'

The thought filled me with both elation and anger. While the countdown clock was ticking, the end still seemed so far off. So far away. Hadn't I already endured enough? Wasn't my punishment done yet? Had I not suffered for breaking my vow?

Had I not suffered enough?

I wanted to be able to sing, and laugh, and talk, and shout, and cry, and scream, and whisper. I just wanted my old life back.

Nine and a half months. So much longer to go. I wasn't even half way through; wasn't even a quarter of the way through.

In two weeks, I'd be only a quarter of the way through this curse. Why couldn't it just end now?

My frustration must have shown on my face, as James pressed another kiss to my forehead.

'It will be over before you know it. Just you wait.'

I wish I could have believed him. I really wanted to believe him. But this was not a fairy story, it wasn't going to be over that easily. This was real, and only breakable through months of suffering on my part.

'If I stay here much longer, Ella will actually kill me.'

I shook my head. Ella would never do that.

'Yes, I know she won't 'really' but she will not be happy.' He said, but made no move to go.

I held up one finger, trying to convey, _One more minute_.

'How long is that? An hour? A day? A week?' He teased. 'I'll happily stay up here for the rest of the year if you command me to.'

I smiled a little, and showed him six tens.

'That could mean a minute or an hour. I choose an hour.' He said, smiling as well now.

I just rolled my eyes, even though from the angle he was, he wouldn't be able to see it.

'I can almost feel you eye rolling me right now.' He told me, 'Let me see.'

He shifted back a little, and moved his hand to under my chin, turning my head so he could look at me. For extra emphasis, I rolled my eyes again, and sighed.

'There we are.' He said. 'I am proved right, once more.'

And before I could think of a response, he lowered his head to mine, and kissed me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six.**

We eventually made it back downstairs, my headache now finally disappearing. James had stayed with me for as long as I needed, until I felt strong enough to get out of bed. I had told him that he didn't need to; it was his birthday after all, and I was certain he must have wanted to other things than look after me. But I made sure his time wasn't completely wasted. After all, I had promised to kiss him a lot.

The sun was almost gone by the time that we stood in the entrance hall. My brothers and sisters would be back soon, and human again.

'Ready?' James asked. 'Ella's going to run right at you.'

I smiled a little and shrugged. I was as ready as I could possibly be to be assaulted by a pregnant woman.

'One more?' James asked, his smug grin spreading across his face.

I tapped my chin, as if to think about it, but James lifted his hand to my face and brought his lips down to meet mine. My fingers dove into his hair, and his found my waist as I kissed him back as fiercely as he kissed me.

'Ah-hem.' Came a cough from behind me.

We both broke apart instantly to see Christopher stood in the doorway.

'As nice as it is to see you both so happy, Ella's been worrying for the last hour and a half.' He said. 'Please go and put her mind at ease.'

James just sighed. 'So I had to put up with you and Ella being like this when you were first married, and I can't even do it on my birthday?'

'You chose to live with us!' Christopher argued.

'Yes, because the alternative was living with my father. You met him when he was alive, it was a very easy decision to make!' James replied.

Christopher just nodded a little, and stepped to the side, holding the door open for me. I gave James a quick peck on his cheek, and then moved into the drawing room. James followed me, but not before I heard him whisper to Christopher, 'Don't stop me again. Or would Ella like to know about the Tree incident?'

I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing. I could almost feel Christopher turning red behind me.

'MARION!' Came a loud shout as soon as I entered the room. 'Oh thank goodness you're alright!'

A blur of golden hair came running at me, and she clung to me tightly.

'Don't ever frighten me like that again!' She told me, almost shouting into my ear.

I wasn't able to respond; not just because of the fact she was clinging to me so tightly I could scarcely breath, but also as I still could talk.

This stupid curse.

'Ella, I think she needs to breathe.' James said from the corner of the room.

'Oh!' She cried, and released me instantly. 'Sorry.'

I tried my best to communicate that is was alright, but Ella began fussing over me. She asked a barrage of question about how I was feeling, what had happened, where it hurts; all sorts. Most of them were rather hard to answer with only nods and shakes of my head, but I eventually managed to put her mind at ease.

'All of us were so worried! We had nothing to do but just sit and wait! And then Antony arrived, and even he was worried about you.'

Ella pointed over her shoulder to the young man who was currently sat on the sofa, watching the entire scene play out before him.

He was a highborn, that much was obvious from the clothes he was wearing. But also the fact that I had seen him before.

He was the man who had been at Ella's wedding. He had danced with us when we taught everyone the lowborn dance. He had also been at Jonathan's christening.

However, that wasn't the last time I had seen him.

This man, Antony, he had been with James hunting that day. He had been in the forest, pointing a crossbow at my sister. He wasn't the man I had smacked, but the other one.

At least now he had a name.

'Hello again.' He said, standing from where he was sat on the sofa. I gave him a small wave in a greeting.

'You know each other?' Ella asked, looking between the two of us.

'Antony was hunting with me when we found Marion.' James explained.

'Can you still not speak?' Antony asked me. 'Still…'

He mouthed the word 'Cursed.'

James snorted.

'It's fine, you can talk about the curse.' James told him. 'We've done it enough.'

Antony smiled a little. 'Oh.'

I nodded in response to his earlier question.

'I'm sorry.' He said.

'Do you still have that bruise Marion gave you?' James asked.

Antony looked towards him and nodded.

'Yes, you ran at me quite hard.' He said, turning back to me.

I gestured Sorry. James translated for me.

'So, where are all your siblings? It's almost sunset.' Ella asked.

'And where is Philip? Isn't he supposed to be here tonight?' Christopher asked Antony.

'I don't know. I expected him to be here.' Antony said. 'Was he not invited?'

'Yes he was!' James told us all.

'Then why isn't he here?' Christopher said.

'He didn't respond to my letter.' James told us.

'Nor mine.' Antony added.

'Nor mine.' Christopher said, looking between his other roommates.

There was a moment of silence as they all seemed to think it through in their minds.

'So, where is Philip?' James asked.

I stood next to Ella, trying to piece together the small bits of information I could pick up. Philip was the final member of their friendship group from school. They had all shared a room for several years, and the four of them we very close.

'When did anyone see him last? Or get a letter from him?' James asked.

'I saw him last in April. He came to visit us for the day.' Christopher said.

'I saw him in March.' James said.

'I saw him in April too.' Antony added.

'But that was months ago. Where's he been?' Ella said.

Jonathan chose that moment to start babbling loudly to himself. As I had very little to add to the conversation about Philip, I walked over and crouched down to the one-year old. He giggled and reached out his arms towards me. I gave him a small smile, and he grabbed my hand and pulled himself up. The others in the room continued to debate when exactly was the last time any of them had heard from their friend.

On the other hand, I sat on the floor and played with baby Jonathan, helping him practice his walking. I listened in to them discussing Philip. No one had seen or heard from him since the middle of April. He had visited Christopher and Ella in the first week of April. It must have been the day or day before my father had died.

'There was a letter.' Antony said. 'I got it about the second week of April.'

Ella, Christopher and James looked to him.

'He had, met someone.' Antony told them. 'On the road.'

'What?' James remarked. 'Philip?!'

'Yes. He found this girl in the forest on the way back from seeing you.' Antony said, pointing to Christopher. 'Some blonde girl who had lived alone all her life.'

I couldn't help but perk up at that.

Blonde girl?

In the forest?

Who had lived alone her whole life?

That sounded a little too familiar.

I picked up Jonathan and passed him to Ella. Then, I almost ran to the small table which had paper and a quill. Antony stopped to watch me write. When I had finished, I passed it to him.

 _Rose?_

Antony read the word, and then snapped his head up to stare at me, his mouth hanging open a little bit.

'How…do you know?' He asked me.

'Know what?' James asked.

'You know who she is?' Antony asked.

I nodded as Antony passed the paper to my husband.

'Rose? Who is Ro…Oh.' James said, clearly remembering what I had told him.

'Rose?' Ella asked.

James looked towards me, as if asking for permission to tell them about what I knew.

I held up a hand and went back over to the table. Although it would be quicker if James explained, I rather selfishly wanted to contribute a little to the adult conversation. As much as I loved looking after baby Jonathan, I wanted to feel included in the group. Ella was one of my best friends, and James was my husband. I wanted to be able to join in.

And so I began to write.

 _Rose is a girl I met in the forest the day before my father died. We-_

I thought for a moment, and then realised that no one other than James knew about Blanche, and It was probably best if it stayed that way.

 _I stayed overnight at her cottage, on the way back to Rault. She had lived there her whole life, and was turning eighteen in a week. When we were cursed, I went to find her, but discovered she had gone. We stayed at the cottage for a while, then James and Antony arrived that day._

I passed the paper to James first, just so he was clear that I was not mentioning Blanche at all, and that he should go along with it.

James nodded subtlety to me, and then passed the paper over to Ella. Christopher read it over her shoulder.

'So, after Rault, you stayed in her house? You went to her first?' Ella asked.

I nodded.

'Why didn't you… come to me?' Ella asked, looking imploringly at me.

I was taken back by her question.

'We would have kept you safe. You could have stayed with us.' She told me. 'I would have hidden your family away!'

I stood frozen, not sure how to respond. Was she upset that I had run?

'You went straight to this Rose? Who you had only known for a night, and not to me?'

Ella was just staring at me with confusion, and a little pain.

'Ella.' James said. 'I don't think…'

'Why did you go to her?' Ella interrupted.

Picking up the paper, I began to try and write a response.

 _I didn't go to her intentionally. We just ran into the forest, we had to get out of Rault. We just happened to be going in the right direction to go to the cottage._

Ella took the paper from my hand.

It was at that exact moment that the sun set completely behind the horizon. The sounds of my human brother and sister running around the house began to fill the silence. Antony looked around confused, as did Christopher.

'I'm guessing the Browns are back.' James said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

'I would have helped.' Ella said quietly, still looking at me.

I was at a loss as to what to do. I knew that she would have helped me. I was well aware of that. But she didn't seem to believe that I did.

The door opened and Alexander, Richard and Tom walked in.

'Happy birthday James!' Alexander offered.

James just held up his hand to stop him, and looked back to Ella and me.

'Why didn't you come to me?' Ella pleaded. 'If you'd just stayed in Rault, gotten a message to me-'

'Stay in Rault?' Alexander asked. 'What is going on?'

Ella finally looked away from me, and towards my brother.

'I just don't understand.' She said. 'Why you didn't come to me. When you were all cursed, you could have come to me. I would have looked after you all. If you had just stayed in Rault and-'

Alexander scoffed a little, interrupting her.

'We couldn't have stayed in Rault.' He said. Richard behind him, shook his head.

'Just until you got word to me.' Ella told him. Alexander shook his head again.

'No. You didn't see them. When he cursed the village, they all turned on us instantly.' Alexander said.

'They were shouting and screaming and started to chase us!' Tom added.

'Lady Ella, I mean no disrespect to you, but you weren't there. We ran, almost for our lives. They were cursed to hate us, Arry grabbed all the things she could and we ran. We didn't think, we just ran. None of us thought about where we were going, we just had to leave.' Alexander said.

Ella fell silent. And pale. Christopher stepped to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

'I think I speak for all of us when I say, I don't think we'd been more scared in our entire lives. They could have killed us if Arry hadn't gotten us all out.'

I saw Antony and James both turn to look at me. My gaze fell to the ground. That day was one I would rather forget. Even the memory of it still hurt. How scared I had been, how upset and terrified.

Ella didn't seem to know what to say.

'So, what has this got to do with Philip, and this Rose girl?' Christopher asked, trying to desperately change the subject.

'Whose Rose?' Alexander asked.

'The girl who lived in the cottage in the woods before you did.' James told him. 'Marion met her, and apparently so did our friend Philip, who is now missing.'

'Missing?' Alexander asked.

'Disappeared. Along with this girl apparently. If she wasn't in the cottage when all of you were living there, then she must have gone too.' Christopher answered.

I had thought about this, about where Rose had gone. We had gone back to the cottage, and it had been completely abandoned, with no trace of Rose, or her aunts. She had just disappeared, and I hadn't really made any effort to find out what had happened to her. Something had clearly changed in order for all four of them to leave the cottage.

Her three Fae aunts, they must have decided they needed to leave for some reason. They didn't seem like the sort of women who would just run with no reason. I just didn't know for what.

'So, what do we know of this Rose person? And where on earth could Philip be?' James asked.

Clara, Gwen, Robbie and Daniel chose that moment to walk through the door, wearing the best clothes they had. Clara had borrowed one of my highborn dresses. We had picked it out the day before. As it was James's birthday, we had all made a little bit more effort with what we wore. I was still in the burgundy velvet I had put on earlier.

'There you all are!' Alexander said. 'You took your time!'

'That because we care what we look like, unlike you!' Daniel teased. 'Hello there!' He said to the other people in the room.'

'Daniel, is that you?' Asked Ella, looking at my brother in surprise. 'You've grown up so much!'

Sometimes I forgot that Daniel and Clara worked at the manor with me and Ella. It was several years ago now, but seemed even like a lifetime ago.

'And Clara! My look at you now, almost a woman!' Ella exclaimed.

'Hello M'lady.' Clara said, giving her a small curtsey, like she used to do at the manor.

'Oh, please don't.' Ella said, walking up to her and embracing her. 'There's no need for any of that.'

'Shall we go and get the dinner sorted? I'm rather hungry.' Alexander offered, gesturing to the other room. My siblings all commented on how hungry they were and began to make their way towards the kitchen.

'I'll let you get back to it.' Alexander said, closing the door behind him, leaving me, James, Ella, Christopher, Antony and a sleeping Jonathan who was curled up on the sofa with his thumb in his mouth.

'Don't you have servants to do the cooking?' Antony asked, looking towards James.

'Not anymore.' James told him. 'We had… a little disagreement.'

'Oh.' Was all Antony replied.

'I think I'll put Jonathan to bed.' Ella said, picking up her sleeping son. 'Would someone show me the way?'

I stood, ready to take my friend up to the nursery, but James beat me to it.

'I'll do it.' He said, almost running to the door. It was a little odd, but I couldn't question it.

James, Jonathan and Ella all left the room, leaving me with Christopher and Antony.

We sat in silence for a little while, until Antony began to ask about Rose again. He was clearly very worried about Philip, and he wanted to know where he might be.

I wrote out answers to all the questions he asked me. He wanted to know what she was like, where the cottage was, where she might have gone.

I didn't know many of the answers, but I answered them as best I could.

After a few minutes, Antony and Christopher began to talk amongst themselves about the best way to find their friend. I didn't mind that they didn't talk to me much. After all, I barely knew them, and they had spent many years together. So, I got up silently, and left the room after James and Ella.

The floorboards creaked a little as I walked up the stairs, and along the right hand side corridor towards the nursery. My family were making a lot noise down in the kitchen, masking my own footsteps.

The door to the nursery was open crack, and the voices drifted out in to the corridor, reaching my ears.

My hand was practically on the door handle when I heard the word 'Marion.'

I froze.

I knew I should knock, or make my presence known, and certainly not eavesdrop.

But I couldn't help myself.

'You can't imagine how distressed Marion was I found her. She lost her father, been placed in charge of her family who were starving and grieving. Then they were all cursed and forced out her home. You know how much she loved Rault, how much you love Rault. Marion had to run, she wasn't thinking clearly. If she'd been given time to think about it, then of course she would have come to you, but she had to keep her family safe first. Surely you can understand that.'

That was James's voice, of that I was certain.

'I do. But I feel truly awful about not helping. If only I had known- I just want to help her. And I didn't. She came to rescue me when I was in trouble, but I didn't rescue her when she needed it.'

And that was Ella.

'If you hadn't been there, I dread to think what might have happened to her.' Ella continued.

'I'm also very glad I was there.' James told her, with an arrogant tone to his voice.

Even from behind the door, I still gave him an eye roll.

'Have you told her?' Ella asked.

My heart stopped. Told me what?

James sighed and the sound was followed by a creak. I guessed he had sat down on the edge of the bed.

'No, I haven't. And I don't know how to.' He admitted.

My mind was spinning; what was he referring to?

'It's very easy to. Especially if it's the truth.' She told him.

What was the truth?

What was James not telling me?

'It's the truth, but…What if it's not reciprocated? What if she can't say it back?'

What did he mean?

'Well, she has a small problem saying anything at present.' Ella joked. 'But it might not be that long until she can speak, if what she found in that book was true.'

'You know what I mean. What if she doesn't feel the same way?' James said.

My knees were shaking, and I wasn't entirely sure I was breathing. If what I thought he meant was what he actually meant, then… Then…

'From what I can see, I don't think you have anything to worry about. She seems about besotted with you as you are with her.'

'But, what if she doesn't actually…'

'There's only one way to find out. You have to ask, or tell her.' Ella told him. 'And she's one of my oldest friends, I want her to happy and loved, just like I am.'

'That's all I want for her too. We just…we've done everything in the wrong order. So I don't know what she wants from me. Whether she married me just to save her family, or because she really cares for me.'

'James, you'll never know unless you ask her.'

'I know. How stupid is this? I'm too scared to ask my wife if she loves me!'

Everything stopped in that moment. The moment I heard those words.

'But you love her.' Ella said.

I almost was too scared to hear the next words.

'Of course I do. I love her with all my heart.'

My hands were shaking, my heart was fluttering, and my head was spinning.

James loved me.

 _James loved me!_

My husband was in love with me!

'Then, I think you should tell her that.' Ella said.

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, followed by the bed squeaking, signaling that James had risen.

'He's a little angel, isn't he?' James said, clearly about Jonathan.

'He really is. We're truly blessed with him.' Ella said.

Another beat of silence, and then Ella said,

'We should really go. We left Marion with Christopher and Antony.'

'That can't go well.' James joked.

This unfortunately meant that they were making their way towards the door that I was hidden behind. I panicked and knew they couldn't know that I heard them.

I pushed the door next to me open, and ran behind it. Closing it as much as I was able without making a sound, I let myself calm down a little as James and Ella walked right past me.

Or as calm as I could get myself.

James was in love with me!

I couldn't believe it.

In love, with me!

And the real question still hung in the air.

Was I in love with him?

Was I in love with my husband?

Did I love James?

I found that my heart already knew the answer to that, and had known it for a while.

I did.

I really did.

I loved James.

I was in love with James!

He was kind and caring, and had saved me and my entire family. He was intelligent and handsome, and the best man I knew.

 _I was in love with James!_

My hand pressed over my chest, as if I could calm my frantic heart.

The truth of it settled inside me finally. It was like something that I had always known had simply clicked into place.

I loved James.

'Marion?' Came a loud shout from the entrance hall. James's voice floated up to where I was still hiding.

The panic consumed me once again. He couldn't know that I heard everything that he and Ella had said. Footstep came back up the stairs, but then took a turn toward the left corridor. He was checking if I was in my room.

I took the chance, and peeked out. James was making for my room with a fast pace. As soon as he disappeared through the door, I ran. Taking the hidden servants staircase, I made my way down to the kitchen quickly and found all of my family down there, putting the final touches to the dinner.

'Arry, we're about done. Gwen, can you go and gather everyone?' Clara said. Gwen happily skipped up the stairs to go and get the others. I helped Clara, Daniel and Alexander carry the plates and food up the stairs, while the others set the table.

Ella, Christopher and Antony all walked into the dining room just as we were making the final touches, and took a seat, as did most of my siblings. I set about ladelling the soup into the bowls for everyone.

'Marion!' Came a voice from the door, and I looked up to see James there. 'There you are! Where have you been?'

I gestured Later, and he didn't press the subject.

But I found myself staring at him. At my very handsome husband, who loved me. The smile consumed my face before I could help it.

James noticed me beaming at him, and gave me a small grin in return. I couldn't describe the sheer joy that flooded me at that moment, it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

He took his usual seat at the head of the table, and I took the seat next to him.

'A toast.' Exclaimed Christopher, raising his glass. 'To James, on his birthday. Many happy returns and all the best for the future!'

There were mumbles of agreement, and we all drank, the older ones from our wine, the younger ones from the apple juice they had.

James took all of the comments with a smile.

'So, shall we begin?' He asked.

* * *

Once everyone had been shown to their rooms, I sat at my desk in my nightgown, playing with the emerald that lay on the chain around my neck.

All through dinner, my mind had been whirling and spinning.

James was in love with me. And I was in love with him.

Everything finally seemed to be going right. Other than the silence that still oppressed me from every side.

But James was in love with me. I couldn't quite believe it.

He hadn't come upstairs yet; he was still talking with Christopher about wat they could do to find Philip. Antony had been a part of that conversation, but was so tired he was almost falling asleep as he spoke, so he had turned in for the night.

I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to calm down enough to even begin to think of sleep.

Love! I was loved!

And I loved him in return. I'd never been more sure of anything in my life.

There was one small problem however, I didn't know what to do about it now. Did I confront him, or simply tell him that I loved him, or wait for him to confess it first? Did I tell him that I overheard what he had said to Ella? What was I supposed to say, or write?

Footsteps echoed around the entrance hall as I heard James and Christopher bid each other goodnight. The door to James room opened and closed.

This was it. James was now only a matter of feet away. But I still didn't know what I was going to do.

Another minute passed, and then a knock came at the door.

'Marion, are you still awake?'

I took a deep breath, and stood from the chair. I could do this! Making my way over to the closed door, I tried my hardest to build up my courage. I had to be able to do this! He deserved to know. After everything he had done for me, I deserved to know how I felt.

I placed my hand on the handle and slowly pulled the door open, to reveal James in his nightclothes and a large smile on his face.

'There's my beautiful wife.' He said in greeting.

I blushed in response.

'There is… I have to… May I come in?' He asked. I nodded, and stepped aside to let him past, and closed the door behind him.

He was stuttering, which meant he was nervous. My confident and smug husband was nervous!

James took a seat on the edge of my bed, and patted the space beside him, indicating for me to sit as well. I took a deep breath, and then moved so I was sat next to him. My stomach was doing flips and jumps inside my belly, never able to settle.

James was looking at his hands, fidgeting and tapping nervously. I thought it was rather sweet, that he was getting so worked up about this.

'So, I've had a rather interesting birthday.' He began. I just nodded in agreement. It had been a little mad.

'We've finally decided on something.' He said. Then he took another deep breath.

'Christopher and I are going to have to go and find Philip. We think we might leave tomorrow. And I don't know how long we'll be gone.' He told me. 'I know you didn't like being all on your own, so maybe Ella and Jonathan could stay here with you, until we get back.'

This was not the way I thought this conversation would go. James was leaving.

James reached forward and took my hand in his.

'I don't really want to have to go, but he's one of my closest friends, and he's missing. He could be hurt, or in trouble. We need to know he's alright. Do you understand that?'

I found myself nodding without even thinking about it. I knew that if it was me, if Blanche or Ella or Isabelle or Amelia had gone missing, then I wouldn't stop until I found them. I would need to know they were safe. I had only ever met this Philip a handful of times, at Ella's wedding and Jonathan's christening, but I knew that he was good friends with James, Christopher and Antony. And maybe, if we knew what had happened to Philip, we would be able to find out what happened to Rose.

'I'll send letters back every day, with how long we think it's going to take. If we haven't found anything in a week, we'll come back and try and think of something else.' James told me.

I wasn't sure how exactly to respond. Did he want my permission for him to go, or my blessing, or was he simply informing me that he was going?

My heart sank a little. I thought he had come here with a completely different goal in mind, but apparently not.

'It's only a week Marion, it will fly by.' He said, lifting his hand to cup my cheek. 'And I'm sorry to have to go, but I need to.'

My head knew that. I knew he had to go, as I would if I was in his position. But my heart didn't agree.

I wanted him here, with me. I wanted him to spend his days with me, laughing and kissing me, and telling me he loved me.

But it wasn't to be.

Maybe he didn't want me to know. Maybe he didn't want to admit it to me.

What I wanted to happen, was not going to happen.

'Marion, I'm sorry.' He said, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. I just nodded in acceptance. There wasn't really anything I could do.

'But, there is one more thing.' He said, taking another deep breath.

I looked up to him, his lovely green eyes fixed on mine.

'I can't leave without saying anything. I'm not going to see you for another week, and you need to know.'

My heart began to flutter again.

I knew what he was going to say, or at least I hope I knew what he meant.

James gave me a small smile.

'Marion, I…'

He stopped. Completely and utterly stopped.

I wasn't sure I was breathing.

'You… I couldn't…' He tried again, but fell short.

I just sat there, waiting.

He just couldn't seem to formulate words. He looked like he was trying desperately to get out what he wanted to say, but was not able.

We just sat there, neither of us were able to speak.

Then suddenly, James moved.

His face came towards mine, and his hand on my cheek tightened as his lips met mine.

He kissed me deeply, taking me by surprise. I froze for a moment, before realising what he was doing.

I kissed him back, trying to convey as much as I was able that I felt the same way back, even though he hadn't actually told me.

He broke away as quickly as he had come towards me, and managed to utter out.

'Marion, I'm in love with you.'

At that moment, everything in my entire world ceased to be.

Everything had narrowed to that exact moment.

That one sentence.

Those words became the start and end of my life.

 _I'm in love with you._

They were everything.

James was just staring at me, as if trying to gauge my reaction.

I was just frozen, letting the words sink in.

He was in love with me.

James was in love with me!

'I've been in love with you, almost since the moment I saw you sat on the other side of the ballroom in your green gown.' He admitted. 'There was just something about you, something called to me.'

I still couldn't move.

'And when I found you again, in the forest, all I could think was that it was fate, or something, that had made me find you, and how lucky I was that you were back in my life.'

I took my first breath since he had said the words.

'And since we got married, I couldn't help myself. Every day, all I could think about was you. You are the strongest, most incredible, fiercest and loveliest young woman I have ever met. No one else could ever go through what you've been through and still be…you.'

'You have me completely and utterly under your spell Marion. And I couldn't leave without telling you.'

He stopped, and just continued to stare at me.

In all my life, in all my imaginings, I had never once thought that anyone could say something like that to me. Those words belonged on the pages of book, belonged to the fairest maidens and princesses, not to me.

Plain, low born me.

And James thought that of me. He loved me despite that. He truly felt that.

For me!

And in that moment, I found I hated this curse more than I ever had before. The urge to tell him rose within my throat. I wanted to tell him I felt the same way, I wanted to scream it!

I wanted to tell the world I was in love with James. And I couldn't.

I wasn't even able to tell him. The words were right there, ready to roll of my tongue. They were stifled by this infuriatingly evil curse.

'Marion?' James asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realised I had been sat there, not moving, or reacting.

'You don't… You didn't want to hear that, did you?' James said, his head falling forward, just a little.

Finally, something deep inside me pushed me forward, forcing my hands to move. They moved up, and up, and up, until they were touching James's cheeks. He jerked, and his gaze met mine again. Slowly, I nodded.

He just sat there, a little confused.

'Wait, so you did want to hear that, or you didn't?'

I nodded again. Could he really doubt that I hadn't wanted to hear that?

'You did?' He asked, his voice rising several pitches in excitement.

Once again, a nod.

He let out a ragged breath of joy.

'I just want to be clear, I don't expect you to feel it back. Don't feel pressured to say it just because I have. But I can't leave without telling you.'

Without thinking, I moved. Pressing myself forward, I kissed James. He was taken a little by surprise, but it didn't take him long to respond. My hands trailed down from his face, shoulders, arms and eventually to his hands. Then I broke away, and looked down to where I held his hands in mine.

I held his left hand in my right, and lifted my other hand so it hovered just over his. He just looked confused as to what I was doing.

Biting my lip, I began to trace the shapes over his skin.

 _ **I-**_

'I?' James asked. I nodded.

 _ **L-O-V-**_

'L. O. V.' He whispered.

 _ **E**_

'Love.' He breathed.

 ** _Y-O-_**

Before I could write the last letter, James had grabbed my hand with his free one. I looked up, to see him beaming.

'You love me too?' He asked, his lovely green eyes alight with hope.

I took one last deep breath before the moment I knew would change everything.

Then, I nodded.

It was James's turn to freeze. The large smile was still on his handsome face, his eyes wide.

I wasn't sure what exactly to do. Did I try and make him unfreeze? Did I just wait for him to come to terms with it?

But instead, my instincts did the deciding for me.

His hand was still in mine, and I curled my fingers around it, turned it over, and lifted it to my mouth. I placed a soft kiss on the back of it, wishing he would understand.

I was in love with him, just as much as he was with me.

He finally unfroze.

'You love me! Truly?' He cried.

I released his hand and beamed at him.

He began to laugh a little, as he tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

'Marion Thorne, you never fail to surprise me.' He said. 'And I'm never going to be bored married to you!'

I just continue to smile at him; after all, there wasn't really much I could say in response.

So, instead, I leaned forward to kiss my husband, and he leaned to meet me. It was sweet, and soft; full of hope.

And love.

It was completely full of love.

Neither of us pulled away for good long time. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

With my husband, who loved me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

The sun shone through the small cracks in the curtains, falling onto my husband's sleeping form.

James looked so peaceful in his sleep. His dark brown hair was lightly ruffled, his nose crinkled, and small goosebumps rose on his arms as they fell outside the sheets.

I had been awake for a little while, and I just lay there, watching the man I loved sleep.

The man I loved.

How nice that sounded.

My husband who I was in love with.

And who loved me in return.

How had everything turned out so wonderfully?

Granted, not everything was so perfect; I still had to remain silent to break this curse on my family. But things were definitely getting better.

I now had a husband who loved me, and was going to support me through the rest of my silence. I was the mistress of a grand manor house. My family were never going to starve again.

And I was in love.

For the first time in my life, I finally had some idea of what all the stories were talking about. The rush, the ache, the need to be close to someone else. As I lay there looking at James, I knew I was beginning to understand it all.

My heart tightened purely at the thought of it. How much I loved James. My chest felt like it was going to cave in, and the smile that was plastered to my face showed no signs of disappearing any time soon. Not that I wanted it too. I was far too happy to think about concealing it.

James loved me!

He really loved me!

Suddenly, there was a sharp intake of breath, and I watched as his chest rose, and his eyes began to move behind their lids.

He was waking up.

Another large breath, and then his eyes fluttered open, revealing those lovely shades of green that focused instantly on me.

Then, came the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

James's sleepy gaze caught me like nothing else had ever done before. The corner of his mouth had curled upwards, lazily, softly.

'Good morning.' He mumbled. Almost on instinct, I moved forward and brushed the hair that had fallen over his face away. His lips curled up even more at that.

His hand moved from under the sheets, and cupped my cheek, stroking his thumb over my cheekbone.

'My love.' He whispered. The smile that was still on my face spread even wider.

'You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that.' He told me. Tightening his grip on my face just a little, he pulled me down to his level so he could press his lips to mine. It was sweet and lovely. The perfect kiss, the two of us, bathed in the early morning sun.

His hand moved from my face, down to my neck, until they wrapped around my back and pulled me closer to him, his lips never leaving mine once. He groaned as he pulled me flat against his chest, my fingers tangling in his hair. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to fly out of my chest.

This is what the stories all spoke of, this exact feeling. The rush, the elation, the pure joy that was flowing through my very veins. It was everything I had imagined it to be, and more.

I never wanted it to end, but of course it did.

A sharp knock came at the door.

'James? Are you awake? We need to get everything together and leave soon.'

That made both of us jump apart. Christopher's voice drifted through the closed wooden door.

'Don't come in!' James yelled, right as the handle began to twist a little. Pushing me back a little, James tried to gesture something to me, something I didn't understand.

He did it again, and I realised, he was trying to get me to get down behind the bed. It was only when the handle moved again, did I almost jump out of the bed, and landed on the floor behind it, crouching down so I wouldn't be seen.

I heard the door swing open, and saw a pair of boots across the room from me.

'Honestly Christopher! Don't I get any privacy in my own house!' James shouted at him.

'Oh please. We shared a room for six years, there's nothing that could surprise me now.' Christopher retorted.

The corner of my mouth curled into a wicked smile. If only he knew, I thought.

'I don't care, out!' James yelled. 'I didn't walk in when you were first married!' He added in a much more hushed tone.

'But, Marion's not here.' Christopher said.

I really had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

There was a long moment of silence, in which I guessed Christopher managed to work out what was happening.

'Oh!' was all the reaction I heard.

'Don't say anything!' James warned him. 'Or I will tell Ella about the tree incident, don't test me.'

Another beat of silence, followed by soft retreating footsteps.

'We do have to get packed and go soon though.' Christopher said, before leaving. 'We have about an hour. I'll leave you to it.'

Then the door closed.

I was still a little too nervous to move from where I was hiding, but the smile still refused to move.

There was a soft creaking sound as the bed moved, and then James's face appeared before me.

'He's gone. And I'm going to make sure he never does that again.'

His hand extended down to me, and I grabbed it. He pulled me up, so I was standing before him. His arms wrapped around my waist from where he was still seated on the bed.

'Do I have to go?' He moaned, glancing up to look at me.

As much as it pained me to do it, I nodded. His friend was missing, he had to at least try to find him. I knew James, he would punish himself if he didn't at least try to help.

'But, I want to stay here, with the woman I love!' He groaned, pulling me in tighter for emphasis. I moved my hand to cup his cheek.

I mouthed, _Philip._

James sighed loudly. 'Damn him! Why did he have to go missing right now? Couldn't he have waited a year or so?'

I raised my eyebrow at him.

'What?' He asked.

Taking a step back, I moved toward the desk, where there was a pile of paper and a quill and ink.

 _Only a year, that's how long it's going to take for you to get bored of me?_

I didn't even have to turn around, as I felt him stand behind me and read the words over my shoulder. Then, he let out a soft chuckle into my neck.

'That' He told me, the vibrations coursing through my skin, 'Would be impossible. I'm never going to get bored of you.'

His arms were now firmly around my waist, and I moved so I was holding onto them, my arms crossed in front of me.

'I only mean, that in a year, we won't be newlyweds in love.' He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my neck.

I reached forwards to grab the quill again.

 _So we won't be in love?_ I teased.

He just wrapped me tighter into his arms.

'Have a guess.' He said.

I lifted my finger to tap my chin, as if thinking about it. Of course I didn't have to, but teasing James was far too easy, and I liked it.

His head lifted, and his arms moved so I could turn around to look at him.

'I really do have to go, though. As much as I don't want to.' He told me. Then, he lowered his head to kiss me.

He pulled back almost instantly.

'How long do you think we can drag out not going downstairs?' He asked.

I just shrugged.

'Well, let's find out shall we?' He smirked, and lowered his lips to mine, with more conviction this time.

And we did manage to stretch out the time.

To almost an hour.

* * *

The mid-morning summer sun shone brightly upon us as everyone stood outside the manor, as well as three horses.

There were bags on the ground, full of James, Christopher and Antony's things, ready to be strapped over their shoulders, and the horse's backs. They were ready to go. They were leaving me, Ella and Jonathan in the manor, until they got back; which may be up to a week later. We didn't know exactly how long they would be searching.

'That's the last of it.' James told us all, pulling down on the worn leather strap.

Both him and Christopher looked almost disappointed at the news. Antony, on the other hand, looked eager to get going.

'So, shall we?' Antony said.

'In a minute.' Christopher replied. 'I want to say goodbye to my family!'

And with that, he walked over to where Ella and Jonathan were standing. One arm wrapped around his wife, and the other rested on her belly, right where the new baby would be growing.

'Stay safe darling.' Ella said, embracing him.

I only saw them for a moment, when James walked right up to me and said, 'I think I left something inside the house. Help me find it?'

I nodded and followed him. No sooner than we had gotten through the door and out of sight of the others, did James grab me and kiss me.

His lips moved firmly over mine, and his tongue probed my lips until I opened for him. I scarcely noticed anything other than him. I held him tightly, I didn't want to let him go.

It was a goodbye kiss, I knew that. But I didn't want it to be.

I wanted him to stay here, with me. I wanted to spend the rest of the day in his arms, being kissed. I wanted Philip to be found and safe, so James could come home, to me.

But it wasn't to be, and James had to go.

'Oh, I'm going to miss you.' He murmured against my lips. I wasn't able to respond, but I hoped he knew that I felt the same way.

'This is going to be the longest week.' He said when we eventually broke apart. 'I'll be counting in the minutes until I'm back here, with you.'

I just nodded. It was all I could do. This damned curse. I couldn't even say goodbye to my husband. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever been through.

After a while, I began to pull back. He really needed to go, he had a friend to find. His face fell when he realised that I was trying to be sensible about this.

'I know, I know!' He complained. 'I have to go. But can you blame me for wanting to stay here with my beautiful wife?'

His hands tailed down my arms and settled on the small of my back. I simply gave him a look. I knew he had to go.

'James? Come on!'

Antony's voice drifted down the entrance hall.

James shouted back, 'I know! One more minute!'

He turned back to look at me and sighed.

'When I find Philip, I'm going to kill him for disappearing like this!' He said.

I just raised my eyebrow at him.

'Am I not justified? Murder for depriving me of my wife?'

I almost laughed, but stopped myself just in time.

'Maybe just a slight maiming?'

I shook my head.

'Can I hit him around the back of the head?'

I nodded at that.

James sighed once more.

'James!' Antony shouted again.

'Alright!' James shouted back. 'Can I kill him for being irritating?' He whispered to me.

I tapped my chin in thought, and then shook my head.

'Oh, you take the fun out of everything!' He teased.

I looked mildly shocked, and tried to turn away from him. But he caught me and gave me one last kiss on my cheek.

'Off we go!' He groaned, as the two of us finally began to walk back outside. His arm stayed firmly around my waist as the sunlight hit us.

The bags were already strapped over Antony's horse and back, and Christopher's were well on the way to being.

'Are you going to help us, or are you too busy with your head in the clouds?' Antony asked. 'No offence intended Lady Marion.'

I smirked a little at my formal title. Sometimes I forgot that I was a lady now.

'My head is not in the clouds! My thoughts are much more agreeably inclined.' James told them, giving a sideways glance to me.

Antony just sighed and mounted his horse.

'We need to be off. So, Marion, I will bid you farewell. Thank you for being a wonderful hostess for last night, and we'll see you soon!' Christopher said, walking towards me and embracing me.

'Look after Ella and Jonathan for me.' He whispered, 'Please?'

I nodded subtlely into his shoulder. He seemed satisfied with my answer and drew back. Christopher walked over to Ella once more, and I spied James strapping the last of his bags onto his back.

I walked over to him just as he finished fastening the last buckle on his pack.

'Oh, don't start again!' Antony groaned.

'When you are a happy newlywed Antony, I will remind you of how annoying it is.' James yelled at him. I simply stuck my tongue out.

Ella and Christopher laughed a little.

'Ella, I hope you enjoy your time here.' James called to her.

'I'm sure I will.' Ella replied.

'And tell Jonathan to run wild. It's been too long since we've had a small boy in the house' James continued.

Ella and Christopher just exchanged a look between the two of them.

'So, this is it.' James said to me. His arms opened and I embraced him, clinging tightly.

'Stay safe, and take care of yourself.' He whispered. 'And if anything happens, with the curse, or you, or Ella; send someone to find us. Promise me?'

I just nodded. I couldn't do anything else.

'I'll be back before you know it. Enjoy your week with Ella.'

Pulling back from his embrace a little so I could see his face, I mouthed I love you.

'I love you too.' He said, beaming.

'James, we really have to go.' Christopher said, climbing on top of his horse.

With one last sigh, James gave me a swift kiss on the top of my head, and then pulled back.

'To be continued, in a week. Maybe less.' He mumbled. The blood rose to my face before I could even begin to think to stop it.

Then, he turned around quickly and jumped onto his horse.

'Be careful, all of you!' Ella called, moving to my side with Jonathan. 'And the best of luck!'

I just waved, as it was all I able to do.

All three of them shouted cries of goodbye to us; James winked at me.

Then, they all clicked their tongues and turned to go. Christopher and James looked back towards us. Christopher mouthed something to Ella that I didn't catch as I was looking at my husband.

He gave me a wave with one of the saddest smiles I had ever witnessed. I knew what he was feeling, the sharp pang of separation was coursing through my very heart.

But then he turned away, and joined his other friends, as they disappeared out of sight, to find Philip.

* * *

'Can you say 'Mama?'

Ella's voice rang clear and kind through the room, as little Jonathan looked up at her beautiful face, his brown eyes fixed on his mother's.

We had been sat in the nursery for a good long while, helping Jonathan practicing his walking. He picked it up fast, but sometimes got a little too overconfident and fell forwards. But we had moved onwards and were trying to get him to talk. Apparently Jonathan had been able to say a few words the week before, but he mainly resorted to babbling.

'Mama.' Ella repeated, pointing to herself.

'Muh..M…Ma.' He managed to utter out.

'Nearly! Oh darling, you're doing so well!' Ella cooed. 'Mama. Come on, show Aunty Marion how clever you are!'

'Ma…a…a…Ma.'

'Mama.'

'Ma...ma.'

'That's it! Well done!'

'Mama!' Jonathan cried triumphantly

'Oh, bravo! My clever little boy! Marion, isn't he clever!'

I sat on the floor next to her, and nodded. Jonathan did look adorable, trying to formulate words.

'Can you show Marion how you say Dada?' Ella encouraged her son. 'He said this one first.'

'Dada.' Jonathan repeated with almost no delay. He then started giggling, and the sound almost made my heart want to burst.

'What else can we teach him?' Ella asked. 'what about Marion?'

I shook my head almost on instinct. I'd grown up with far too many siblings to know that Marion was not an easy word for babies to say. And so, I reached for the quill that was on the floor next to me and began to write.

 _Try Arry._

Ella looked over at it and then smile.

'What about Arry? Can you say Arry? Arry. Arr-y' She repeated slowly.

'Ar' Jonathan said.

'Arry?'

'Ar-I'

'Almost darling! Arry.'

'Arry.'

'There we go! Well done! This is your Aunty Arry!' Ella said, pointing to me.

'Arry!' Jonathan squealed, looking to me!

I only smiled. I wanted to coo over him, and tell him how clever he was, but I couldn't.

This Damned curse!

I couldn't even teach a baby to talk.

And what was slightly more irritating than even that; Jonathan could speak more than I could. He could say about four words, and he had spoken more in the last ten minutes than I had in the last two and a half months. I couldn't even keep up with a one year old!

But Jonathan's smile managed to cheer me up. He always had this effect on me, ever since he was born. He was one of the most adorable babies I had ever seen. Not that it was surprising considering who his parents were. But not only that, he was such a happy child. He was always smiling and giggling. Ella had told me that in those first few months he would scream and scream, but all the times I had been there, he had been a little angel.

'Hmm, what else?' Ella asked, more to herself than me.

But regardless, I picked up the quill and wrote _James?_

'Oh he would love that. Can you imagine James's reaction when Jonathan says his name?'

The thought of it made my heart flutter just a bit. I could actually see his reaction in my mind. The light that would shine in his eyes as he picked up the small boy, the large smile that would spread across his face, the way he would swing Jonathan around in his arms for saying his name.

'Darling, can you say James?' Ella asked her son.

'Arry!' He chirped.

'James.'

'Arry!' He said again, very pleased with himself that he could say that word.

'Alright, maybe later.' Ella conceded.

'Mama!' He cried, raising his hands up to her. She just smiled and picked him up.

'Anyway, speaking of James…' Ella began looking towards me. 'Has anything interesting happened recently? As in last night?'

My answering expression was all the confirmation that Ella needed.

'He told you! Oh, how romantic!' She cried.

It was romantic. It had been everything I dreamed about and more. Biting my lip, I just gave a nod.

'So, do you love him back?' She asked.

That, I had no problem answering. I nodded again. I did love him, with all my heart.

'I'm so happy for you. For the both of you!' Ella exclaimed. 'Oh, to be newlyweds in love! Marion, isn't it just wonderful!'

I just kept nodding. I now finally knew exactly what she was talking about. What she had been referring to on her wedding day, and in all those letters to me.

'It was a lovely time, but this little one came along almost straight after.' She said, tightening her arms around her son. 'Not that I would trade him for anything.'

It was true, Jonathan had been born only ten months after Ella and Christopher got married.

'Maybe there will be another little one along soon, hmm.' She said, raising her eyebrow at me.

At that exact moment, I felt all the blood leave my face.

Me and James hadn't…There was no chance of…

'Oh, Marion, are you alright? You've gone as white as a sheet.' She said.

I tried nodding, but she didn't believe it. The quill was already in my hand, so I began to write.

 _There will be no baby. Not yet._

Ella read it, whilst moving Jonathan so he was perched more comfortably on her knee.

'Oh.' She replied. 'Do you…want to talk about it?'

I just stared at her.

'I only mean…It's just…'

Ella sighed.

'When I got married, I had no one to talk to about…that.' She admitted. 'I knew about it, but only what my mother had said. Which wasn't very much.'

I could imagine that, having met Lady Eleanor. While she was open enough to explain to me what my courses meant, but I couldn't see her talking to Ella about, that.

'I only mean, if there is anything you want to know.' Ella offered. 'I'm here for you.'

It felt good, to know that my friend was willing to do that for me. Ella, my oldest friend was still here for me all these years later.

And I knew I wouldn't get another opportunity like this again, or at least any time soon.

 _Are you sure?_ I wrote on the page.

'Of course I am.' She assured me. 'So, where would you like to begin?'

Taking a deep breath, I began to write.

To her credit, Ella answered all of my questions, not that there were many of them. And none of them were particularly intrusive, more like things to put my mind at ease a little. I also told her about our agreement to not progress anything until the curse was lifted. Ella told me that was probably a sensible idea, as throwing up from morning sickness is also apparently not something that can be done silently.

But I didn't tell her about last night. Or at least all of it.

After we had declared our love to each other, James and I had spent a good long time kissing. And it had gone a little further than we had done before. But not there, yet. It made my cheeks blush to even think about it.

However, there was one thing that flew through my head as I thought about it.

How I almost didn't want him to stop.

There had been moments where it would have been so easy to just give into it. All it would have taken was a nod.

I wasn't anywhere near as scared as I had thought I would be. I had enjoyed kissing James, and almost completely forgotten my fear. And there were moments of last night when I'd just wanted to surrender to what I was feeling.

Now, there was yet another reason why I wanted this curse over and done with.

Was it so wrong of me to want that? I was married after all. And hadn't I gone through enough? Did I not deserve something to go right?

Ella was as good as an angel to me, and patiently waited for me to write out everything I wanted to say, and answered honestly.

It was only when Jonathan started fussing, did we realise that time was marching on and midday was upon us.

'Oh dear, is someone a little hungry?' Ella said, picking up Jonathan and placing him on her hip. 'Well, Aunty Arry is a very good cook! She's much better than me. I can only make cakes.'

My thoughts went instantly back to those days in the manor, where the two of us would sit around the kitchen table, while one of Ella's cakes baked in the oven. Jane would always be there, sewing or polishing something. Mrs Pole would be frantically trying to cross tasks off her list and Mrs Taylor would be fretting that Ella was messing up her kitchen.

Those days seemed so long ago, even though only three years had passed. I had left the manor house when I was seventeen, and I was now twenty years old. How had so much changed in three years?

Three and a half years ago, both of my parents were still alive. I was still a servant. I'd not met James, and Ella had not met Christopher. There had been no curse, no silence, no difficult choices.

But now there was. Everything had changed.

We were now both happily married. I had a title and wealth. Ella was going to be the next Duchess of the county, and her son would be the future Duke. Although, it was a little hard to imagine Jonathan as the future Duke when he delighted in making bubbles with his mouth and shouting 'Mama!'

And maybe, one day, my own child would own this manor house. They would be titled, and rich, and never have to worry about starvation, or working in fields. They wouldn't have to go to work as soon as they were old enough to, as I had. They would be able to have a long, happy childhood, unhindered by poverty.

One day.

Maybe.

'Are you coming?' Ella asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded, and followed her down to the kitchen, where a very hungry Jonathan was getting fussy.

* * *

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Ella and Jonathan kept me busy. I hadn't had to do so much washing of dirty napkins since Gwen was a baby. I knew I shouldn't blame him, as he couldn't help it, but all week, the only thing me and Ella seemed to do was clean up after him. It was a good thing that he was so adorable.

But, we did manage to do some other things. We went on walks around the manor, into the forest and down to the lake where most of my family spent their days. Jonathan was delighted when woodland animals walked right up to him. Daniel let him stroke his feathers and Tom let him grab his bushy tail. Robbie even let him ride around a little on his back.

The forest held bittersweet memories for me. On the one hand, me and Ella used to meet up in the forest to walk to market, I used to walk almost two days to get to Milton and back every few months with Blanche. I used to spend hours in the forest reading outside of Milton.

But then, there was also the running, and the hiding, the living in fear for our lives. The day that the hunter had thrown me out into the forest, I had never known fear like it before. And the utter despair I had felt when I thought that no one was coming.

But that was a long time ago, a month and a half had passed since then.

The whole week went, and me and Ella settled into a routine again. It was almost like being back at the manor, but not quite. So much had changed, and there was now a baby. We cooked meals together, and looked after Jonathan and cleaned up. And every day around midday, a messenger would arrive with two small notes. One for me, and one for Ella.

Christopher and James took the entire week, and managed to only find one possible lead, which disappeared rather quickly. And while the notes were only short, it was obvious how much they were missing us. Just as much as we missed them.

Each night, I lay in bed, alone. I thought it had been bad when he was only gone for one night, but a week was almost torture. It was even worse now we both knew how the other felt. The only solace I could find was the knowledge that he would be back soon.

And he was back soon.

Exactly one week after they had left; Ella, Jonathan and myself stood at the gates at the end of the drive. The note we had received the day before said that they were arriving late afternoon, and that they all missed us. Or at least James missed me, and Christopher missed Ella and their son. Antony had decided to stay around Duke Mallare's lands.

Duke Mallare was Philip's father, and ruler of the lands south of Duke Howards's and east of the lands that used to be ruled by Duke Knox, and now controlled by 'the bitch' as Blanche kindly referred to her as. Apparently he had made it home after visiting Christopher and Ella that day, had stayed for about a week, and then gone again. His father didn't know where he had gone, simply presuming he had gone to stay with one of them for a little while. He was rather upset when he found that it wasn't the case.

Antony was staying behind with him, while they continued to try and work out where he could have gone. But Christopher and James were true to their word and turned back for the manor.

And for us.

No sooner did the sounds of hoof beats begin to echo in the distance, did my entire back stiffen and I turned towards the source of the noise.

Ever closer, ever louder, and yet it seemed like they could not get here fast enough. Those few seconds where we could only hear them seemed to stretch on for a lifetime.

Then finally, a pair of horses came around the corner. With two familiar riders.

'Dada!' Jonathan cried, bouncing a little on Ella's hip. His little fists swung from excitement in the air.

'There's my little prince!' Christopher shouted as both of them neared us.

My attention however, was fixed firmly on the person to his right. The one who was beaming at me from atop his horse.

'And my queen.' Christopher said, pulling to a stop, and swinging his leg over the side of his horse, and dropping right in front of her. He wasted almost no time with embracing his wife and son, and unborn child.

James however, took slightly longer. He was the more sensible of the two, and actually tied the horses up to a nearby tree.

'Marion?' He said, inclining his head, trying to get me to follow. If the tone of his voice didn't make it obvious enough, his expression certainly did.

I couldn't contain the smile on my face as I followed James behind his horse, and out of sight of the others.

No sooner than we had taken five steps, I grabbed James's wrist, and forced him to face me. And I finally caught sight of those lovely green eyes I had been missing all week. I didn't give him any time to think when I pushed myself onto my tiptoes, and pressed my lips to his.

The smile on his face grew, each muscle could be felt by me.

He was home. With me.

His lips pressed firmly back against mine as his fingers tangled in my hair. The world around us seemed to fade away into nothing. Every nerve in my body, every thought in my head was centered on the person in front of me.

'By the stars, I missed you.' He mumbled against my lips. I didn't let him continue, and kissed him with even more fervour.

'James, we need to put the bags away and-' Christopher started.

'Oh, to hell with them.' James ground out, and went straight back to kissing me. I almost wanted to giggle at such a statement. Christopher and Ella seemed to get the message though and the happy family disappeared along with Christopher's horse and bags.

I didn't notice until a few minutes later, when both me and James needed to pause for air. It hit me then that we were alone.

James's stomach began to grumble a little.

'Sorry.' He said. 'We had a slice of bread on the road, and not much else.'

I pointed to the house. Me and Ella had made dinner, some for now, and some for when my siblings returned to the house. James gave me a chaste kiss on the back of my hand, and turned back to the tree.

'So, that was a wasted week.' He admitted, untying his horse from the tree branch. 'Seven days, and he's still missing, without a trace. And that's seven days I could have been here, with my wife. Philip better have some incredible excuse, or he's in for it.'

We began to walk back towards the manor, the warm late afternoon sun still shining bright.

I pointed back out into the forest and gestured _Go, again?_

James shook his head.

'No, not for a while at least. There's no point in going if we don't know where we're going to. If we get new information, then maybe. But I'm quite content to stay here for a little while. Antony will send word if he hears anything.'

I knew I should have been more thoughtful, one of his best friends was still missing, but I couldn't help but smile at the fact he was going to stay here for the foreseeable future.

And it was a future that didn't seem so very bleak.

It was one where I had a husband who loved me, a family, friends I could rely on, and more than enough to get by on.

Everything was not so terrible.

In fact, it was rather good.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

 **One month later.**

The situation with Philip became even more confusing as the month went on. After hearing absolutely nothing from him for over three months, a letter arrived one day, with only the barest description.

 _I heard you were looking for me. I am alive and well, but have urgent matters to attend to. If anyone asks, you haven't heard from me. All will be revealed in good time._

 _Philip._

 _P.S. Congratulations on the wedding. I hope she's knows what she's in for._

'That's his handwriting.' James had said, reading the note again and again. Apparently the same note had been delivered to Antony and Christopher, just without the wedding part. All of them had agreed that Philip was no idiot, and that if he asked them to keep silent about hearing from him, there was probably a good reason for it.

Antony had refused to simply let it stand, and was still at Duke Mallare's palace, trying desperately to work out where he could be. James and Christopher on the other hand did want to help, but thought it best to respect his wishes and just leave it alone. They were still worried, but at least they knew he was alive.

There was still no word on Rose. Philip's short note hadn't mentioned her at all, and he was the only lead we were ever going to have on her disappearance. But if Philip was alive and well, then the chance of Rose also being, were quite high.

The month had flown past, in a haze of new love.

James was every bit the husband I had always dreamed about. He was kind and considerate, and every inch the gentleman he had been brought up to be. He meant the world to me.

And I knew that I meant the world to him too.

That month was full of long walks through the forest, hours spent by the fire, meals eaten together and….

A shared bed.

Still nothing had happened, as the curse still had its hateful claws stuck into me. But every night it was getting harder and harder to stop. James was just as frustrated as I was, but he hardly ever let it show.

And we still hadn't told Alexander. He was actually really getting to like James now, despite their slightly rough start. When the sun disappeared every night, my family would join us for dinner and fill the room with loud shouts and conversation. Alexander, Daniel, Richard and James sometimes liked to take themselves off to discuss things I had no interest in. Most of it came from the books James owned about military history and tactics. The boys found it all rather fascinating.

Clara and I, did not. I simply had no interest in learning how men died in horrible ways trying to storm this castle, or that camp. The others disagreed with us, and we just left it at that. The youngest ones never really had much time with us as humans. Thanks to the summer months, the sun set around ten in the evening, meaning Tom, Robbie and Gwen were usually exhausted by the time they had eaten, and often went straight to sleep.

We had settled into a routine, my strange family. If anyone had ever looked in from the outside world, they would have discovered our very odd situation. The seven animals who became human at night, their silent sister and her rich husband. But we made it work. We had to.

I was now over a quarter of the way through my silence in the second week of August. Only eight and a half more months left. The end still seemed so far away. But I had made it this far through, so I was not stopping now.

It was possible.

I could do this.

Just eight and a half months more.

That morning, I had awoken like any other.

The bed clothes were tangled around me, and the sleeping form beside me was snoring, ever so lightly. I had playfully covered his mouth to shut him up, which of course had woken him.

We hadn't moved from the bed for a considerable time after that, which led to a lot of blushing when I had to finally go and open the door to let my siblings outside. I could have sworn I saw something like laughter on Daniel's face. But it was obscured by quite a few feathers, so I couldn't be sure.

When a squirrel, raven, swan, hedgehog, fox, fawn and a field mouse had all left the house, I finally dressed for the day, and began to work making breakfast. James joined me after a little while, gave me a kiss on my cheek and ate quickly. He said he had a mountain of paperwork that he had to sort through that day, and he'd been putting it off for a while.

'No distractions! I have to get it done.' He said, glancing in my direction.

I simply feigned offence and picked up the pencil.

 _What are you implying? That I enjoy distracting you?_

I passed it to him with a sweet smile.

'I think we both know the answer to that.' James replied. 'But just for today, this needs to be done.'

 _Fine. Then prepare for at least double the distractions tomorrow._

'Oh, I'm looking forward to it.' He told me, squeezing my hand gently.

After that, he had disappeared into his study, and closed the door behind him. He did have a lot of paperwork to sort through, I had seen it building up on his desk. There were permits to sign and accounts to balance. Feeding nine people was no small thing, especially after the harsh winter we'd had. And while James had never once complained about feeding so many people, I knew it would have made a large dent in his accounts. He had been used to paying for just enough food for three people; himself and the two servants. Now, his food consumption had trebled thanks to our marriage. The money had to come from somewhere, it didn't just appear.

He had also been putting off a lot of the letters in favor of spending days with me. I had nothing better to do, so I hadn't felt bad about spending the time with him. All I was putting off was laundry and making beds. He on the other hand, was putting off the issues of his estate. He had tenants who lived in the village who depended on the upkeep of his estate to pay their wages or to fund other things in the community. James was their lord, he had a crucial part to play. And I had been distracting him from that.

And so, I was left alone in the house.

Before, that would have gotten me down, being all alone with no one to talk to. But now, I had learnt to live with it. I still hated the curse, but it was a minor inconvenience that I could ignore.

The August sun glared through the windows in the library as I picked up a book that I had not read yet. Despite my thin dress, the air was still too hot for it to be comfortable. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I had no intention of wasting it by staying inside.

Packing up the book by placing it in my basket along with some food, I closed the door to the library and headed outside.

The gardens were beautiful this time of year, while the sun was shining and the flowers were out in full bloom. But the gardens were not my destination.

I continued through them until I reached the tree line of the forest. The trees provided some much needed shade from the glaring sun, and I walked easily over all of the roots sticking out of the ground.

I kept walking for another few minutes, down the slight hill, until I reached a familiar sight. A small lake complete with one swan.

Clara.

She noticed me when I approached the edge of the lake and gave me a wave with her wing. The sounds of other animals echoed off the trees, and I knew most of my other siblings were around here. Daniel was high above me, enjoying soaring through the open sky.

I had always wondered about how it felt to fly. Ever since I had been a young girl, the birds had fascinated me. What small child did not look up at the sky and wish to soar. Now I supposed Clara and Daniel both knew the feeling, although Daniel seemed to have taken to it more than Clara had.

Clara had told us one night, that it was exhausting. Daniel had disagreed, but then Clara's swan form was considerably larger than his raven one. It made sense that it would take more effort from her to fly, compared to him. Daniel flew whenever he could, and sometimes that meant around the house; something both me and Alexander had told him off for on several occasions.

But after three and a half months of being cursed, they had all simply learned to accept their situation. There were some of them who I dared say, may have even preferred it to being human all of the time. Alexander and Gwen on the other hand were desperate to get back to normal. Alexander was sick of his bushy tail, as he liked to remind us each and every night. And after the incident with the servants, Gwen seemed to fear being trampled on or hit again, even though we had reassured her many times that no one in the manor would.

But the others, they appeared to like being animals. Robbie thought it was like having a magical power, that he could shapeshift. And as long as he was happy, who was I to contradict a ten-year old?

Clara honked something to me, that I didn't understand, so I just waved at her, hoping she had meant 'Hello.'

Setting the basket down, I pulled out a small rug and laid it out before sitting on it and pulling out the book.

The sounds of the forest surrounded me as I peeled back the first page, and began to read.

The story was rather entertaining. It was an adventure novel. A mercenary who was on a quest to right a great wrong that had been done to him and his family. The entire first half of the book, that act remained a mystery.

The sun continued its ever slow creep across the sky. I hardly noticed.

Lunchtime came and went, and I put the book down just long enough to eat a slice of bread and cheese, and to have a small bottle of pressed juice.

The sounds of Gwen scurrying around were followed by Robbie's hooves. Both of them appeared by my side, and I fed them a few crumbs. Robbie didn't eat much, but Gwen seemed quite happy to munch away at them. They both returned to playing once they had eaten. I also threw Clara a few scraps which she pecked from the surface of the water, and ate.

I returned to my book, having only gotten about a third of the way through it.

If only I had known.

How was I to know what was to happen? By the time the next hour had passed, everything had changed.

That day quite altered my life.

It started with a tremor.

The very air around me shook with the force of it. It passed right through me, shaking me to my very core.

Clara felt it too.

Her long neck rose, stretching higher and higher. Her small black eyes looked towards me, as if I had the answer to what was happening.

It felt as though the very breath from my lungs was going to run from it. I wanted to run from it.

A long low vibration passed right through me. Right through all of us. Even the leaves from the trees seemed to tremble in its wake.

Then, it disappeared.

The absence of it was possibly even worse than the tremor itself. Just silence, and stillness.

For a long moment, nothing moved.

I hardly dared breathe.

I knew what it had been without even having to think about it. It was obvious.

Magic.

I knew it. I had felt it before.

On that horrid day. Springbloom. I had felt it before. The entire village of Rault had.

Was he here? Had he come back? What did he want from me this time?

But instead, something else began to happen.

I didn't believe it, almost blinking in surprise.

As the familiar golden ribbons of light began to form around Clara.

The golden magic, in daylight.

The sun was still brightly shining overhead. It was only a little way past midday. It was the middle of the day, and the magic was already surrounding her.

There was another glow, over on the other side of the lake. I watched in horror as Robbie's fawn head became visible, only to be consumed by the golden light.

I stood, the book falling from my lap. I hadn't marked the page, and nor did I care. Something was happening.

The golden light had almost completely covered them now. I had to place my hand over my mouth to stop myself from crying out.

It swirled and twisted, as it did every night and morning. But it was neither night or morning.

Daylight, they were transforming in broad daylight.

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be happening.

And yet, there was some small part of me that dared begin to hope.

Did this mean….

Was it possible that this meant….

I could barely allow myself to hope. If it turned out something even more horrid was happening to them, I couldn't live with the disappointment.

But, could it be?

My hands were shaking as the golden light began to grow. Until they were the size of humans.

I had seen this transformation many times before, but I had never watched it with such hope.

It writhed and spun, and then slowly, began to untangled. And my heart leapt at the possibility that it might be the very last time I had to see it.

The golden ribbons of light began to move back, disappearing into the air.

Leaving Clara, a human.

Unfortunately, she was still in the center of the lake, and as soon as the golden light let her go, she plummeted downward, landing with a large splash. A few stray drops of water hit me in the face, pulling me back into reality as I saw the shape of my sister splashing in the water.

She was back. She was human.

And possibly drowning.

My legs moved before my brain could catch up with what had happened. Not caring about how wet my dress got, I ran straight into the lake. The water pulled the hem of dress backwards, and I had to push against the force of the water, as I tried to get closer and closer to her.

Then, she managed to find her balance and stand. It wasn't very deep water, but the magic hadn't exactly set her down on her feet.

'Marion! Look! I'm human!' She cried, trying to take a step towards me. She held her hands out in front of her, looking just as confused as I was.

Still, I kept trying to get to her, the water forcing me to move agonizingly slowly. I stumbled a step after slipping on a rock far under the surface.

Clara turned her hands over and back again, before patting herself down.

'I'm really human. In daylight.'

I managed to reach her, and she held out her hand to me.

'Feel! It's real! I'm back!'

My hand collided with hers, she was indeed human.

My mouth fell open in surprise. If Clara was human, then did that mean…

'Clara, what are you doing in the lake?' Came a voice from the shore. Robbie was stood there, also a human, looking at the two of us like we were mad. To be fair to him, we were both stood in the middle of a small lake, making sure she was human. It was mad.

'I just changed back. Has everyone?' She shouted to him.

Robbie just shrugged.

Then, Clara gasped and looked to me.

'If we're human, then…then, it's over. The curse is over! Isn't it?'

She had said exactly what I was thinking.

They were human. They were back.

It was over, all of it.

No more animals, no more golden light.

And no more silence.

'Marion, you can speak! It's over!' She yelled. 'It's really over!'

I didn't say anything for a moment. After three and a half months of constant silence, I hardly knew what to say.

And what if it wasn't over, what if this was just some hoax to try and get me to break.

The faerie might show himself, and I'd have to go through it all again.

But then, the memory shot through me.

 _'My time is coming to an end. It will not be long now. I have made my peace with it, but I have not made my peace with you. Not now, you've suffered too much. But one day, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me when I am gone.'_

He had said that to me. In the dream.

His time was coming to an end. And if what I had found in that book was right, then faerie curses were broken upon the death of the faerie who had issued it.

Which meant…

He was dead. He was gone. And the curse really was broken.

It was true, all of it.

I was free.

Finally, free.

No more silence, no more sacrifice, no more unhappiness.

Free.

And so, for the first time in three and a half months, I opened my mouth, tilted my head towards the sky, and didn't hold back.

I screamed.

The sound forced its way out of my throat, piercing the air around me, echoing off the trees. A sound, that had come from me.

I screamed, and screamed, and screamed!

I screamed for all the frustration and heartache and irritation I had gone through in the last three and a half months. The running, the hiding, the fear when I was forced out of the cottage, the marriage, the servants. All of it.

And it felt good.

Sound, there was actual sound leaving my throat, that other people could here.

Clara beamed at me as my scream turned into laughter.

Laughing! I was laughing.

It was all finally over.

No more silence, never again.

My laughing turned a little hysterical as I couldn't keep it in. But I never had to keep it in again. No more biting my lip to stay silent. No more forcing my mouth to stay closed.

It was over.

'I can speak!' I shouted gleefully. Clara beside me nodded.

'Yes! Look, no magic, nothing!'

'It's finally over!' I said, relishing in every word. They almost felt strange as I spoke them, like my lips had forgotten how to pronounce each word.

'It's over.' I almost whispered, having to catch my breath.

'I wonder how?' Clara asked.

'We'll wonder about that later, but we need to get out of this lake.' I told her. The water was rather cold, despite the hot day, and it was well up to my waist.

We both began to slowly make our way towards the shore, where Robbie was still stood, checking he was still human.

'Marion can speak now?' He asked us, smiling at me.

'Oh yes I can.' I told him, pushing my leg through the murky water. 'And I'm never shutting up again.'

'MARION!' Came a loud cry from beyond the tree line. Loud footsteps came ever closer to us; someone was evidently running. Then, my husband burst into sight, and stopped abruptly at the shore of the lake, next to Robbie.

And his green eyes went wide with shock.

'You're…You're human!' He breathed.

Then, he looked up to where me and Clara were still making our way to the shore.

'And you're human.' He said to her, the surprise still evident in his voice.

Finally, his lovely green eyes met mine.

'So, you can…You can speak. The curse is over?'

I was about to nod on instinct, but stopped myself, and opened my mouth.

'Yes! Yes, I can.' I shouted happily. The smile would not leave my face, to the point where my cheeks hurt, but I didn't care.

'You can talk!' He shouted, taking a step into the lake.

'No, you'll ruin your clothes!' I told him.

'Oh, to hell with my clothes!' He shouted back, taking another step towards me. We were now only a matter of feet away from each other. The man I was in love with came ever closer, slowed by the water.

'I'm free! I'm really free.' I kept muttering to myself, still not quite believing the fact I was speaking without consequences.

The water hit the top of James's calves and just above my knee when we finally made it to each other. James helped Clara out of the water first, as I pushed her forward. She was beginning to shake a little from the cold. She had, after all, been rather unceremoniously dumped in the lake, and was soaked through.

She climbed out, just as Alexander and Richard came running around the corner, also human.

'You're human too!' Alexander said once he saw her. 'What happened?'

'That awful curse is broken!' I shouted to him. Alexander almost jumped half a mile when he saw me speaking.

'Arry! You can talk!' He yelled back, a smile blooming on his face.

'Oh yes I can!' I laughed. Nothing had ever felt this freeing before, in my entire life.

And then, James reached for my hand. I grasped it, and he pulled me close to him.

'You can talk!' He whispered quietly.

'And I am never shutting up again.' I told him, standing knee deep in a lake. The cold was now beginning to get to me.

'Oh, I'm counting on it.' James said, running a thumb over my cheekbone.

'Urgh. Do we have to see this?' Came a voice from behind me. Both of us turned to see Daniel standing on the other side of the lake, cradling his arm in his other hand.

'What happened to you?' Alexander asked, making his way towards him.

'I was happily perched on a tree when the light started. I lost my balance.' Daniel admitted, showing his wrist to Alexander.

'Clara needed a change of clothes, we'll just be inside.' Said Richard. We turned back to look at her to find that her lips had turned blue from the cold. I myself understood a little of what she was feeling, my entire lower half had been submerged in water, and part of it still was.

'I think you might need one too.' James told me, glancing down to where my dress was utterly ruined.

'Same goes for you.' I said. The bottom half of his trousers were still submerged. Words still felt strange on my tongue, and my throat felt strange having to work to form words, after so long of not being able to.

'You still sound the same.' James admitted, once we made it to the shore. 'I used to have to imagine what your voice sounded like. Two years is a long time for me to remember. Now, I won't have to.'

'Nice to know I don't disappoint.' I teased him. It felt so good to be finally talking to him, not having to write everything down. The conversation moved so much quicker.

'You could never disappoint me.' He said, rubbing his thumb gently over the back of my hand. 'I love you, and nothing will change that.'

It struck me right then, that I had never actually said 'I love you.' To him. I had written it, many times, and meant it. But he had never actually heard the words.

'I love you.' I told him, meaning it with every fiber of my being. And now, I could actually tell my husband how much I loved him.

James beamed, like nothing I had ever seen before. I felt compelled to lean forward and kiss him, but Alexander's face appeared in my line of sight.

'Has everyone changed back?' Alexander asked, looking around.

'I presume so. You all have.' I replied. Oh, I could reply! I could simply answer things people asked me instead of having to write them down.

'Where's Gwen and Tom?' Daniel asked. They were the only two I hadn't seen as humans yet.

'Here!' Came a small shout as both of them appeared to my right. 'We were playing hide and seek. The light really gave away my hiding place.' Tom grumbled.

'Why are we human? It's not dark yet.' Gwen asked us, looking very confused.

'It's broken. The curse is broken.' I told her. She almost jumped back in shock when she saw me talking.

'So, I'm not going to be a mouse anymore!' She cried, smiling.

'No, never again.' I told her. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my middle, only to pull back when she realised that my skirt was soaked through.

'Why are you all wet?' She asked.

'Clara fell in the lake.' Robbie told her.

'Oh, I missed that!' She complained.

The cool summer breeze drifted through our little gathering, which made me shiver. I was after all, still half soaked through, and it was beginning to get comfortable.

'Come on, let's get dry first, then we can celebrate!' James told us all. 'I think cake is in order.'

Gwen and Robbie cheered at the mention of cake, as I knew they would.

I took James's offered hand, and we began to walk back up to the house.

Once we were safely out of earshot of my family, I turned to him.

'What ever happened to no distractions?' I teased.

James didn't meet my eye.

'You screamed. This morning, you still couldn't speak so if you screamed, I knew something really bad must be happening. You wouldn't throw away months-worth of silence for something small. You didn't even cry out when you burned your hand.'

I almost faltered a step. I hadn't thought of that when I had screamed. Of course he would have been worried. There had just been a loud piercing scream with no context.

'Sorry.' I mumbled.

'Don't be.' He said. 'You deserved to scream. After everything, you deserve that. I think it if it was me, I would still be screaming. You're showing a ridiculous amount of restraint.'

I laughed a little. Stars, it felt good, to just laugh.

We made it to the house, and upstairs. James gave me a quick kiss on the back of my hand before leaving me at my door to go and get changed.

He was being very quiet, which was not usual for him, at all.

But I needed to get out of my wet dress. That was first. Peeling it off, I let it fall to the ground, and sighed, loudly.

I could sigh! And talk! And scream.

I'd missed it so much.

All those long stretches of silence, finally gone.

I hummed as I changed. It was just a simple folk tune, but it filled the silence of my room. I could do that now, I never had to sit in silence again.

I found the first dry dress I could and pulled it on. I squeezed my hair out and dried as much of it as I could with a cloth.

I wasn't completely dry, but it felt better than wet clothes.

When James hadn't come to check on me in five minutes, I knew something was up. I thought he'd be happy, now the curse was over. After all, that's what we'd been dreaming of since we had met in the forest.

There was no point dwelling on it, I wanted to celebrate. And so, I walked up to the closed door between our two rooms and knocked.

'James? Are you alright?'

There was a small cough on the other side of the door followed by a weak, 'Just, one moment.'

Something was definitely wrong. Not caring that I was going against his wishes, I pushed the door open.

James was sat on the edge of his bed, his hands pushing away tears that had fallen down his face. The corners of his eyes were lined in red.

'James? What's the matter?' I asked him, rushing instantly to the side of the bed, and taking a seat next to him.

'Don't go.' He muttered.

'What? Why would I go?'

James took a shuddering deep breath.

'I am a man of my word. I hope you know that.' He began, still not able to meet my eye. 'So, I meant what I said when I proposed.'

I was very confused, and not really following his logic.

'What do you mean?'

'I said, I would marry you, while the curse was still in place. And if after it was broken, you wanted to leave, we'd get an annulment. After all, we still qualify for one.'

Each word hit me in the heart like an arrow. Did he really think… After all this time…

'The choice is yours. You're free to go back to Rault now, if you choose. They won't hate you anymore.'

I seemed frozen. Did he really think I wanted to go back?

'But Marion, I want you to stay. More than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life.' He told me, finally, lifting his eyes to meet mine.

'But, it is up to y-'

I lifted my finger and placed it over his mouth.

'Why on earth would I want to leave?' I asked him.

'Because, that is your home, where you were born, where your parents are buried. You had a life there, you might want it back.'

'The only life I want to have now, is right here.' I told him. 'With my husband, that I am deeply in love with.'

The corners of his mouth twisted up at that.

'So, you're staying.'

'Yes, of course. How could you ever possibly think otherwise?' I cried, almost laughing at the fact he might have considered I wanted to be anywhere else.

'I hoped you would, but I know how much you love Rault.'

'At this point, I'm almost certain my love for you is greater than my love of a town that literally made me run for my life.' I pointed out.

He laughed just a little, and brushed away the last few tears that were still making their way down his face.

'James.' I said. He turned to face me.

'I love you, and I'd quite like to stay married, if that's alright with you.' I admitted.

His answering smile was all the confirmation I needed. But just to be sure, I leaned forward and kissed him. His answering kiss consumed me. He poured every part of his yearning into it, and I gave him all of my joy.

I was free. It was over.

And I was in love.

Everything had, finally, turned out good.

* * *

AN- For those of you who have also read the Annette story, this will probably make more sense to you. The reason for Marion's sudden liberation is explained in that story.

Thank you all once again for reading. I hope you you continue to read, as Marion's story is far from over, even if her curse is.

Happy Reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

The early afternoon shone through the window into the master's bedroom in the manor. Neither me, nor my husband cared. We were far too occupied to notice.

James's lips were on mine, and I relished the fact I could make sound as much as I wished to. No more silence.

'MARION?'

We broke apart instantly.

I knew that voice. I knew it well. James on the other hand, had heard it before, but took a little longer to catch up.

Jumping back, I pushed myself off the bed, and began to straighten my hair.

James looked a little confused, and just a little disappointed that I had pulled away.

'Is that?' He began.

'Marion Brown! Where are you?'

Beaming, I opened the door and came face to face with a familiar person.

Blanche.

She was stood at the end of the corridor, her hanker chief pulled down around her neck, her eyes wide, and her breathing heavy.

'What happened?' She demanded. 'They said you started screaming!'

She took a deep breath, as it was clear she had just been running.

'They?' James said from behind me.

Blanche did not even look in his direction.

'Marion?' She asked.

'It's broken.' I told her.

Her eyes went wide when she saw me talking.

'The curse, it's over.' I said, unable to keep the smile from my face. 'I can speak again!'

Blanche let out a surprised sigh, and then smiled at me.

'It's over?' She asked.

'Yes, yes it is!' I told her. 'Everything's back the way it was before!'

I was unable to keep from laughing at my joy. Everything had turned out right, everything. I was rich, had a husband who loved me, and was finally free of this curse. There was nothing else that could drag me out of the happy mood I was in.

'It's over!' She shouted, running towards me. I barely had time to open my arms before Blanche ran into them, embracing me.

'You're free! You're really free!'

Then she pulled back and hit my arm playfully.

'Don't you ever scare me like that again! Do you hear me Marion Brown?'

'Thorne.' Came a voice from behind us.

Blanche lifted her gaze to meet my husband's.

'Excuse me?'

'Thorne. Her name is Marion Thorne.'

'Well, my name is Bianca, and this one still insists on referring to me as Blanche, so I think we're even.' She informed him. 'Also, Marion Brown is just a far better name.'

James looked like she had just slapped him across the face.

'Blanch- I mean Bianca.' I began. 'Please, not now.'

'I know! We should be celebrating!' She cried.

'How did you know?' James asked quietly from the doorway.

Both of us turned to face him.

'James.' I warned, trying to get him to change the topic.

'Know what?' Blanche asked innocently.

'Know that Marion was screaming? Who are 'They'' He asked.

'I happened to be close by. I heard her.' She told him.

'Well, there you go.' I said, a little desperately. 'Mystery solved.'

'You couldn't have been.' He said. 'If you could hear her, how come you only just arrived now? If you had been within hearing distance, you would have been there by the time she got out of the lake.'

'You were in a lake?' Blanche asked me, staring at me.

'My sister was a swan, and then changed back while still in the lake.' I explained.

'So, how did you know? And don't insult me with lies, I'm an intelligent man.' James told her.

Blanche looked a little stunned for a moment. Then, ignoring my husband she turned to me.

'Do you trust him?' She asked me, quietly. However, it wasn't soft enough for James to miss.

'Completely.' I said, with absolutely no hesitation. I did trust him, as much as I trusted my own family. But I supposed, he was my family now. He smiled a little at my answer.

She huffed a loud breath, and turned back to him.

'Marion is not the only one who has interactions with the fae. I was given a gift when I was a small child. I can speak to animals. The birds repeat things to me in the forest.' Blanche said. 'It's how I've evaded capture for so long. They warn me if anyone is too close.'

James's only reaction was a long 'Oh.'

'But, they started screaming, and when I asked them who it was, they said, 'Your friend at the manor.' I knew they meant Marion. They're not very good with names. So I came as quickly as I could. Thankfully, I wasn't very far away.'

It was true, I had only been released from the curse for twenty minutes at the most. It was too long for her to be within hearing distance, but short enough for her to run.

'Well, I have to say, that is a relief.' James admitted.

Blanche just looked sceptically at him.

'How so?' She asked.

'I've been expecting something else, like if you could see through walls, or were always just outside the window, watching.'

Blanche scoffed at the idea.

'Is that honestly what you thought?' She asked. 'Do you think I have nothing better to do with my life than watch you?'

'No!' He assured her. 'Of course not. But… I'm just glad it wasn't that.'

Blanche looked sideways at me, and both of us started to laugh just a little.

'What?' James asked.

'Even I could have told you it wasn't that. Is that why you've been so scared of her?' I told him.

'Aw, you're scared of me?' Blanche teased.

James shook his head vigorously, and I simply raised my eyebrow at him. He was terrified of Blanche, and I knew it.

James still refused to acknowledge that in front of Blanche, so I dropped it.

'Any way, I want to celebrate.' I told them both. After so long of staying silent, I wanted to take every opportunity to shout and sing and talk.

There was a loud noise coming from downstairs, as five people came through the door, all still in their nightgowns, all completely human.

All three of us moved to the end of the corridor so we could see down the stairs. The first thing I noticed was that Daniel was still cradling his wrist in his other hand, and now there was a delightful bruise beginning to form there. When he had said he had fallen on his arm, I didn't think he meant this badly.

'What have you done?' I asked.

'Just a sprain, we think.' Daniel shouted up to me. 'I'm just going to find a bandage to wrap it up.'

And without another word, he and Alexander disappeared into the kitchen.

Tom and Robbie seemed to be in mixed spirits about the end of the curse. On the one hand, they were back to being normal once again, and I could talk, but at the same time, I knew they had both rather enjoyed their animal forms, especially once they had gotten used to them. Gwen look as thrilled as I was with the end of the curse.

'You said there would be cake!' She yelled at James.

'There will be, I just about to start it now. I got a little distracted.' James admitted

'Oh, hello Bianca!' Tom shouted up to Blanche. They had all agreed to call her Bianca the last time she had come to see us.

'Hello to you too.' She told him.

'Why are you here? Have you come to take us to be part of your merry men?' Robbie asked, looking rather excited at the prospect. He wouldn't care if he wasn't cursed any more if he could be an outlaw in the forest, fighting for truth and justice.

'No, sorry. I'm here to see that Marion was alright.'

'But, could we go and join your gang?' Gwen asked.

Blanche looked to me, as she was at a loss as to what to say. Subtlety had never really been her strong suit, and she didn't want to upset young children.

'Not today Gwen. Bianca still doesn't have a gang. When she gets one, I'm sure you'll all be at the top of the list to join her.' I told them all.

Gwen looked at little disappointed, but James managed to save the day by saying 'Now, how about we go and make that cake?'

The three of them cheered in agreement.

'Space for one more?' Blanche asked me.

'Of course.' I replied. 'There's always a space for you.'

'Why don't you go and find the things we need? I'll be down in a minute.' James suggested. The three of them raced off as quickly as they could to the kitchen.

'I know where I'm not wanted.' Blanche said, giving me a subtle wink. 'It's been a long time since I made cake.'

'Enjoy it then.' James told her. She smirked a little and then ran down the stairs.

James and I stood in silence until she had disappeared through the kitchen door.

'She's not really that bad.' I told James.

'I know.' He said. 'And I must admit it is a relief that she can only speak to animals.'

'She's my friend. Could you try and be a little more civil with her?' I asked. I knew that it would be a two way battle, to get both James and Blanche to see eye to eye, but it was one I was willing to engage in.

'I am perfectly civil!' He countered. 'With every one I know.'

As soon as the words left James lips, the colour drained from his face and his eyes became unfocused. He was staring at me, but I could tell he couldn't see me.

'James?' I asked, concerned.

He didn't react.

'James!' I said, a little louder.

Suddenly, James moved, and he was snapped out of the trance he had been in.

'Sorry, for a moment then I thought... doesn't matter' he told me.

I raised my eyebrow in question. 'What?'

'Nothing. I just could have sworn I had said that before. Somewhere. I just got the strangest feeling that I was repeating myself.'

'Can you not remember?' I asked.

'No, not a clue. I can't have done. Or maybe it'll come to me later.' He said. 'But enough of that.' he told me, wrapping his arms around my waist. 'We should be celebrating the end of the curse.' He said in a rough voice.

'Yes. You agreed to make cakes.' I informed him.

'Hmm.' He sighed. 'What if I said there was another way I'd rather celebrate.'

'I would say that you got those three all excited, so you better go and make some cakes.' I told him in no uncertain terms, pushing him back just a little.

He groaned.

'Why are you always the voice of reason?' He complained.

'Because I am enjoying having a voice at all.' I said, smiling widely. I still hadn't quite gotten used to the fact I could still speak again. 'And you were the one who suggested cake.'

'But-'

'No buts. Cake first. Celebrating after.' I told him firmly.

He just sighed loudly.

'As you wish my lady. But may I be permitted one kiss before I have to go?' He inquired.

'Maybe just one. As it is a special occasion.' I teased.

He wasted no time in leaning forward to capture my mouth with his own. The smile hadn't even left my face by the time it came into contact with his.

'Aw!' Came a loud sigh from behind us. Both of us broke apart and turned towards it. Clara was stood in her doorway, with a clean, dry dress on, her hair still a little damp.

'Oh! How romantic!' She teased us.

'James was just going, to make cakes.' I said.

'Doesn't look like it.' Clara said in a sing song tone. 'It's alright, I'll leave you to it!'

And with that, she practically skipped down the stairs, smiling all the way down.

I scoffed at how unsubtle she was being.

'Is this going to be normal now they're all back? We're going to get interrupted all the time?' James asked, his hands still on my waist.

'Very probably. There's going to be another eight people living in the house during the daytime hours. Chances of them running into us are quite high.' I informed him. 'Now, you've had your kiss, go and sort out the cake!'

'That's hardly fair!' He argued. 'We were interrupted. Therefore, it doesn't count as a proper kiss.'

'They're waiting for you!' I countered. I didn't really want him to go, but he had promised.

'Fine!' He conceded. His hands left my waist and he turned around to go down the stairs. But just before he took a step towards the stairs, I reached forward and took his hand. Pulling him back round to face me, I kissed him. The joy simply flooded me. Everything was right in the world, everything was finally good!

It was fairly short, and when I pulled back, I caught sight of those lovely forest green eyes that I was so in love with.

'I love you.' I told him sincerely, meaning it with every fibre of my being.

'I love you too.' He replied. 'And I'm going to tell you that every day for the rest of my life.'

I couldn't help but smile at that.

'Right, cake! Go!' I told him. He just leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead, before grinning and running down the stairs to join the rest of my family.

Watching him go, my heart couldn't help but soar. I loved him. I really did. So much so it almost hurt. He had been there for me since the day I happened to run into his hunting party. He had never abandoned me, never given up hope, never walked away, when almost everyone else in my life had not helped.

'Is it safe to come out?' Came a small voice from one of the doors behind me.

Whirling around, I saw the final door in the corridor open a small crack, and Richard's face was just visible.

'What do you mean safe?' I asked.

'I'm not going to walk in to seeing more kissing?' He replied.

I shook my head.

'No, James has gone downstairs.' I told him.

Taking a step out of the room, Richard stared at me.

'So, how long has that been going on for?' He asked.

'What?'

'You and James sharing a room.' He said bluntly. I was taken aback by the forwardness of his statement. I hadn't thought anyone else knew. We had tried our best to hide it.

'We're not.' I said, trying to desperately cover up the fact.

'Yes you are.' Richard said. 'I'm not stupid Marion, I have eyes.'

Sighing, I knew there was no point trying to deny it, not to Richard.

'A few weeks.' I admitted. Then, taking a deep breath, I said, 'Does anyone else know?'

'I don't think so. Alexander doesn't, certainly. Daniel suspects. I don't think Clara does.'

'Why?'

'Because if Alexander knew, we'd hear the shouting for days. And if Clara knew, we'd hear the screaming for days.' Richards joked.

I huffed a small laugh in agreement.

'So, how do you know?'

'I wake up later than everyone else. I've seen you walk into that room a few times.' He admitted. 'And I notice things.'

It was true. Richard was by far the quietest of all of my siblings, but the sharpest. He was very intelligent, far more than me. He'd just never had much of an opportunity to prove it. He was only fourteen years old, so had not been old enough to work when father had died. He'd picked up reading he fastest out of all of us, and read books almost more than I did. He reminded me a lot of a younger Isabelle. However, being from a poor lowborn family, he'd never been able to show just how clever he was. He was very quick at arithmetic, counting out coins and working out change in almost the blink of an eye. If he'd been able to go to school, he would have excelled.

Richard had always been the one to notice things, and work things out before the rest of us. So, if anyone was going to know about me and James, then it would be him.

'Oh.' Was all I could say to him.

'I think it's sweet.' He said quietly.

I stared at him in shock.

'Really?'

'Yes. You both clearly love each other. You have done for a while. And you are married. Mother and Father shared a room, so I don't see why you can't.' He explained.

'Are you going to tell Alexander?'

'No. I don't think he would react very well.' Richard started. 'But, actually…'

He seemed to think about it for a minute.

'He might not actually. Now the curse is broken, there's no reason he could be mad. James kept his word after all.'

'You know about that too?'

'Of course. I have ears as well.' He told me.

I smiled a little at my brother. There was really no hiding anything from him.

'Anyway, we should be celebrating! It's over.' I told him, gesturing towards the stairs.

'I never have to be a hedgehog again! Thank goodness for that!' He said.

'Did you not like it?' I inquired.

'No. The spikes were horrible to live with. And I was always slow. I'd rather have been a bird. But I don't think the faerie took requests.'

'No, he really didn't, did he?' I agreed.

'But, it's all over now. So no need to think back on it, ever again.'

I still had to pinch myself to make me believe that it was over. It was really over. All those months of agonising silence, they were finally at an end.

'No, never again.' I repeated. It felt so good to just be able to say anything. Oh how I had missed it.

'Marion? Is it eight ounces of Flour to four eggs, or four ounces of Flour to eight eggs?' Came a voice shouting up from the kitchen.

'Eight of Flour, four eggs.' I shouted back, giggling a little that I could reply.

'I think you may have to go down there. James isn't the greatest cook I've ever seen.' Richard told me.

'He's not that bad.' I answered.

'Yes he is. Do you know how many times one of us has had to sneak in an extra cup of something he's forgotten? He's also really slow at chopping vegetables.'

That, I did know.

'Well, not everyone can be great at everything. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.' I told him.

'I know that. But I don't want to have to eat James's weakness. And now we're all back, we can actually make our own food again. I was getting tired of eating worms.' Richard told me.

'Marion, we need your expertise in cake making!'

'Coming. One moment.' I shouted back down.

'Go.' Richard told me. 'I'm going to find one of James's history books. I might actually be able to read it now there is light.'

I nodded to my younger brother. Of course the first thing he would do now he was back as a human would be read.

'I'm on my way.' I shouted back down, as I took off down the steps and headed to the kitchen, where I knew a baking disaster waited for me.

* * *

To my credit, I was mostly right.

The kitchen was a mess. The youngest three had gotten a little excited and had managed to get half of the ingredients on the floor or over the worktops. James was trying his best to sort everything out, but it was clear he didn't know the recipe well enough to be able to do it efficiently.

Blanche was sat on a chair in the corner, looking at the scene in front of her. As a fellow highborn, she had never had much opportunity to bake cakes as a young girl. She told us that while she had been used to eating cakes, and stealing them from the kitchens with her sister, she had never actually made one. So, she just sat there and made snide comments at James.

Alexander and Clara were trying their best to wrap up Daniel's wrist. They had washed it, and poured alcohol over it as there were a fair few splinters in his wrist, which had made several small cuts. Alexander had seen before how splinters can turn infectious is they are not treated properly. It was just one of the things he had picked up while working in the fields along-side father for almost five years. They were trying to tie the bandage tightly around his wrist, but it kept slipping off a little. I left them to it. I had never been someone who knew much about illness or treating injuries. I knew that if something like that happened, the first thing I would do would be run and get a physician. I wouldn't even try to do it myself, I wouldn't know where to start.

I managed to sort the cake situation out, and we eventually got it in the oven to bake. The youngest three instantly ran off outside to play while we waited for the cake to bake. James gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and then told me that he had to go and finish off the paper work he had been doing, leaving me with Blanche, Alexander, Daniel and Clara.

'So, what happens now?' Blanche asked me.

'Now?' I replied.

'Now the curse is over. Are you all going back to Rault? Are you all staying here? Are you going to track down that faerie?' She asked.

'No need. He's dead.' I said, very matter of factly.

'He's dead?' Alexander, Daniel and Clara all asked at the same time.

'How do you know?' Blanche asked, about half a second after the others asked me.

'Curses can only be broken if the task is completed, the faerie takes it back, or they die. I read it once, in a book.' I told them. I wasn't about to mention the dream. They would all think I had gone mad. 'And since it hasn't been a year since last Springbloom, and I highly doubt he took back the curse, so he must be dead.'

'Well, good riddance, I say.' Alexander said loudly. 'Everyone is probably much safer if he is gone.'

The others nodded in agreement. I nodded too, but in my heart, I didn't feel it.

My mind couldn't help but go back to the dream. The one where he had appeared to me, almost begging for my forgiveness. The dream where I had seen my past or future self with a red haired young man.

The same red haired young man who had appeared before me the last time I had fainted.

Something else was going on, there had to be. Too many things in my life still didn't make any sense. The dreams, the strange visions, none of it had an explanation.

And if he was truly dead, like I suspected, then I was probably never going to get answers. I was never going to know why he had appeared before me, why he had shown me that boy, why he had cursed my family in the first place. I knew that he had told me on the day of springbloom that it was because they were stealing from him, but in the dream, he had implied that there was some bigger reason for it. Something about me saving the most.

However, I was never going to know. And I wasn't sure if I was going to be satisfied living like that. I was a curious person by nature. I could just let it go.

'So, if you're not going to find the Faerie, then what are you going to do?' Blanche asked again.

'Rault will be safe now.' Daniel mused. 'If the curse is really over, then all the village will have been released from his spell too, right?' He asked, looking around for confirmation.

'We can go home?' Clara asked.

Home. None of us had spoken the word in so long.

Home, the village we were forced out of.

Home, the cottage where both of our parents died.

Home, the place we had abandoned in fear of our lives.

And yet, somehow, it would forever be our home. It still seemed like there was a thread tied to somewhere in my heart, always trying to pull me back there.

I was so conflicted about it, I hardly knew what to think about Rault. It wasn't even pure thoughts flying through my head. There was an unending stream of emotions, feelings that faded into new ones, all blurring together. Love and security blending into sorrow then fear and terror and back to fondness. I didn't know what to think about Rault.

'Do you want to go home?' I asked them all.

Alexander lifted his gaze to meet mine.

'I don't really think it's our decision Arry.' He said.

'How so?' I asked, rather confused.

'You're the reason we're all here in the first place. Your marriage to James.' Alexander explained. 'So really, it's a question of whether you want to leave here to go back.'

The others turned to look at me too.

I was at a loss of what to say. If it had just been me, if I had been an only child, and didn't have to think about them, then I would have stayed in a heartbeat. Of course I would. I loved my husband, and wanted to live here with him for the rest of my life.

But I was not alone. I had seven siblings to think about. Seven siblings who had endured far more than they should have done for the age they were. Seven siblings who had been orphaned, just like me, and had suffered too. Seven children who probably wanted to go home.

If I had been eight, like Gwen, I would want to go home. I'd want to be back in my own bed, back with my own friends, and back to normal.

All four of them looked to me, as if I had the answer. And I had not a clue what to tell them.

But I had to be honest. Nothing good ever came from lying about what I truly felt. And besides, I had just endured three and a half months of torture for them, so I felt I deserved something to go right for me.

'I want to stay. I want to be married to James. I want to have a life here, and a marriage.' I admitted.

'But I know you would all like to go back.' I continued. 'And I know for a fact that if I give up James, I will spend the rest of my life regretting that.'

There was only silence.

'I don't want to go back.' Clara muttered quietly.

We all turned to her.

'What?' She asked the boys. 'I apologise for liking the large Manor House to the crummy run down tiny cottage.'

Daniel smirked, but Alexander looked a little disappointed.

'I have my own room here, and everything works. No wobbling chairs, no dents, no cobwebs. And there's always enough food to eat. Why would we go back to living in poverty when we could stay here?' She told us all.

'I am more than happy to stay here.' Daniel informed us. 'I quite like it here too.'

Alexander simply nodded.

'Well then, it seems we have reached a decision.' Alexander said, smiling slightly at me. 'If that's alright with James, of course.'

I beamed.

'I'm sure it will be.' I told them all.

'So, regular trips to Arton, not Rault. I'll have to remember that.' Blanche joked.

'I dare say you'll probably remember.' I teased. 'After all, more opportunities to irritate James.'

'Ah yes, the joy of my life!' Blanche mused.

'Right, come on then.' I said. 'Those three have run off, so we're going to have to make the cream for the cake.'

And so, we set to work.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten.**

Later that evening, the cake had been baked and decorated, the dinner had been made and eaten, and the sun had not yet set. How I had missed being able to eat at a normal time, and not wait for my siblings to change back. Everything felt so... natural. Like nothing had ever changed.

James had finally finished his paperwork, and had run to join us. Blanche was with us too, enjoying a rather large slice of cake. It had been a good while for her since she'd been able to have something as sweet as cake. She told us it reminded her of her sister.

'She'll be eighteen now. I haven't seen her in almost four years. We used to sneak down to the kitchens when Father had a large celebration happening. All the servants would be busy, and we'd load up our pockets with cakes and sweets, and run back to our rooms to scoff them.'

'So, you've always been good at stealing then.' James joked.

'I suppose. Maybe it was destiny.' Blanche retorted sarcastically.

'Will your sister be joining you in the forest then? You clearly work well as a team.' Daniel asked.

'I think Scar would rather be on the right side of the law.' Blanche explained, pushing her fork into the soft sponge of the cake. 'I hear she's quite the young lady now. Father would be proud. I always like training and wearing trousers too much.'

'Well, at least it came in handy.' Daniel remarked.

The conversation lulled a little as we all finished the plates in front of us.

'Right. Come on!' I cried, 'I want to celebrate. I've been silent for too long for you all to be quiet now!'

They all looked to me, expectantly. As if I knew exactly what to do.

'Why don't we play a game? Or tell stories? What about some music?'

You could tell I was getting just a little desperate as none of us could play anything musical. We could sing, but that was about it.

'You can play music?' Blanche asked. 'That's a new skill you kept hidden.'

'No. I can't.' I admitted.

'I can play all of one song.' James told us. 'My mother insisted I learn at least one.'

Blanche rolled her eyes at us.

'Fine!' She cried, placing down her plate. 'Where's the pianoforte?'

All of us turned to her in shock.

'You play?' Daniel asked.

'I'm the daughter of a Duke. Of course I play. It was one of my many lessons in 'How to be a lady.' '

'I'm guessing you didn't like it very much?' I asked her.

'It was one of the better lessons. I couldn't abide history. And I hated elocution lessons with a passion. Scarlett was always better at them than I was. She plays the pianoforte and the flute.'

'This way!' Gwen said, standing up to hold the door open for Blanche.

We all moved into the music room, which was a little bit a of a squeeze until we moved all of the music stands out of the way. It opened up a space large enough for all of us to either stand or sit.

Blanche took a seat at the instrument, and flexed her fingers over the keys.

'I will warn you now, I haven't played since I was at the palace, almost four years ago. So I might be a little rusty.' She admitted. Her face managed to betray just a tiny amount of nervousness. I had never seen her like this, other than when we had run from the guards chasing us through the forest. But on that day, it hadn't been nervousness on her face, but terror.

Her fingers stretched and rested on the keys, and she took a deep breath. Then, she pressed down.

A chord, happy and light, rang through the air. Followed by another. Blanche lifted her right hand and began to carve a melody out of the keys before her. It was simple, but lovely. I didn't recognise it, but James did. His face lit up with recognition.

It was short and sweet, only lasting about half a minute, but when Blanche finished, we all burst into applause. The younger ones had never had the chance to listen to music on a pianoforte before, but I had. Ella used to play, only a little. When she was a younger girl, sometimes I had caught her during her practice. But since then, I hadn't heard anyone play.

'You play so well!' I told Blanche as she took a small bow in front of us.

'No I don't.' She admitted. 'I memorised that when I was nine.'

'Can you do another?' Gwen asked desperately.

'I can try.' Blanche said, and sat down again. Even though she claimed to having being forced to learn it, it was obvious that she rather enjoyed it. There was a smile on her face, that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was clear that while she didn't miss most parts of Palace life, there was certain parts that she did. And music was one of them.

This time, the melody that sounded out of the pianoforte was slow and familiar.

In the back of my mind, something clicked, and I remembered where I had heard it before.

It was a lullaby. One that I had heard echoing around Ella's Manor as I worked. She liked to hum it to pass the time. It was the lullaby she sang to her father, Sir Henry as he passed from this life.

While the memory of that night was sad, the song was not. The corner of my mouth perked up just a little.

After so long of being silent, I wasn't going to stop myself. So opening my mouth , I began to sing along.

 _Lavender's Blue, dilly dilly,_

 _Lavender's green._

 _When I am King, dilly dilly,_

 _You shall be Queen._

Several of my siblings, and James turned to look at me as I sang. Blanche's eyes didn't leave the keys in front of her, but she too began to sing.

 _Lavender's green, dilly dilly,_

 _Lavender's Blue._

 _If you love me, dilly dilly,_

 _I will love you._

My own eyes betrayed me as I glanced a look at James as I sang those last two lines. The expression on his face didn't change, but his arm went around my back, and held me at my waist.

 _Let the birds sing, dilly dilly,_

 _Let the lambs play._

 _We shall be safe, dilly dilly,_

 _Out of harms way_.

All of my siblings now were staring at either me or Blanche, as we sang together, something we had never done before. But the notes were flowing out of my throat, and I was so happy that they could. I could really sing again! It wasn't a trick or a dream, but it was real!

 _I love to Dance, dilly dilly,_

 _I love to sing._

 _When I am Queen, dilly dilly,_

 _You'll be my King._

James smirked a little at that last verse, and if it had been any other day, I would have chastised him for it. But as it was he first time I could properly speak in so long, I found I didn't care. He could smirk all he wished, be as arrogant as he wanted, and I would just celebrate the fact I could talk. I just wanted to celebrate with him, the love of my life. I turned to him as I sang the last verse.

 _Who told you so, dilly dilly,_

 _Who told you so?_

 _T'was my own heart, dilly dilly,_

 _That told me so._

 _Lavender's green, dilly dilly,_

 _Lavender's blue._

 _If you love me, dilly dilly,_

 _Then I will love you._

Those lovely, beautiful, deep green eyes met mine, and I never wanted to move for the rest of my life.

The music stopped, and several of my siblings began to clap.

'That was lovely!' Cried Clara.

'You have a talent, Bianca. I suppose Arry wasn't so bad.' Teased Daniel.

I heard them, but as if they were on the other side of a veil. My eyes still haven't left James's.

'Arry? ARRY!'

My head snapped around to see Alexander stood next to me, his hands clasped together as if her had just been clapping.

'What?' I asked.

'She's back with us!' He announced. I just glared at him.

'That was very nice. You two should go on the road.' Alexander suggested. 'You'd make quite the living.'

'I'm happy with my situation.' I replied.

'And I think I get more by stealing than I would playing pianoforte.' Blanche said. 'I can't play much, only a few songs and dances. My sister would be far better at it than I am. '

'You keep talking of your sister,' Daniel pointed out. 'Are we ever going to meet her?'

'She's still at the palace, living with our stepmother. I can't get in to see her, and she can't get out, so I doubt you'll meet her any time soon.' Blanche admitted.

'Another!' Robbie cried, and Gwen followed his example as they both pestered Blanche for another piece of music.

'I don't think I know any more.' She told them. 'Unless there is any sheet music around here?'

'There's some over in that drawer.' James told her.

Blanche actually smiled at went over to have a look. The younger ones went to look too.

'You never said you could sing.' James whispered into my ear.

'Not very well. I can hold a tune, but that is about it.'

'No, you have a lovely voice. It's just a shame I had never heard it before.'

'Thank the Fae for that.'

He pulled me in a little tighter, his arm around my waist becoming just a little firmer.

'Then we're just going to have to make up for lost time. I want to hear you sing, and talk... and moan.' He added in a much quieter voice.

The blood ran to my cheeks faster than it ever had done before. I knew exactly what he was referring to. And now the curse was over, we could actually...

A small smile appeared on my face, regardless of my embarrassment. I was just about to say something back when Gwen shouted.

'Oh look, a dance!'

'And another!' Cried Robbie.

'Can we have a dance?' Clara asked, her eyes wide with joy. She was exactly the sort of person who would have loved to go to balls and highborn celebrations, but she never had. As a young low born girl, she'd been dreaming of it all of her life, as I had, and this was about as close as she was going to get.

'Not in here.' James told her, releasing me from his arms. 'It's too cramped.'

Clara's face fell.

James just continued to smile.

'But if we open those doors, we can dance outside.'

All of my siblings began to nod or cry out in agreement.

'Bianca will have to play rather loudly, if that's alright?' He asked her.

'I have a lot of pent up rage. I'm sure I can put it to good use.' She replied with a sly grin. 'Just give me a minute to have a quick practice of these pieces.'

We all moved, trying to open the doors, and then prop them open with boxes. Blanche played through the piece, quietly while we pushed the boxes into place.

'It's a jig.' Blanche told us, as she continued to practice. I nodded. At least it wouldn't be too hard to dance this one.

'Just like a Mayday dance.' I said. We all knew exactly what to do to dance that. Turning to James, I gave him a questioning look.

'Do you know this? It's very easy to pick up.'

'I know it.' He smirked.

'How?' I didn't think highborns learnt commoner dances.

'Let's just say the security at Ashburne school wasn't very good. It was rather easy to escape out of the windows and run down to the local village to join the lowborn celebrations.'

I laughed a little at the thought of a young James, climbing out of a window, and encouraging a young Christopher to join him.

There was nine of us: myself, James and my seven siblings. But the dance required us to be in pairs. Richard volunteered to sit the dance out and he went over to Blanche and asked if he could help turn pages. I knew he really just wanted a closer look at the instrument.

There were three girls to five boys, so Daniel drew the short straw and pretended to be a girl, something he did with with great enthusiasm by fully becoming 'a Noble Lady'. The younger ones were in stitches laughing as Daniel batted his eyelids at James and Alexander, cooing in a high pitched voice.

Robbie paired with Daniel, laughing and teasing him all the time.

James looked like he was about to ask me to dance when Clara started complaining.

'I'm not dancing with someone whose smaller than me.' She told us, as Alexander grabbed Gwen's hand and guided her into place.

'Would you mind?' I whispered to James. He sighed a little, only loud enough for me to hear.

'Fine. But I expect a dance with my beautiful wife afterwards.'

'I'll see what I can arrange.' I told him, pushing him forward just a little in jest.

James walked up to my younger sister, and offered his arm to her.

'May I have this dance, Miss Clara?' He asked, in a tone that reminded me of the very first time he had asked me, all those years ago.

'Yes, you may.' Clara accepted. She took his arm, and then turned to our brothers. 'That's how you properly ask someone to dance.'

There was only me and Tom left, so we walked up to each other.

'Do I have to ask you like that?' Tom complained.

'No, I think I'll manage.' I told him, grinning.

We all took our places, and then turned to Blanche.

'I am very out of practice, so don't expect this to be good.' She cried, and then turned back around and began to play.

For someone who hadn't played in the last four years, she was remarkably good. The odd mistake here and there was noticeable, but on the whole, she kept the rhythm going at a steady pace, and was rather accurate with the melody.

We all bowed or curtsied to our partner, Daniel giving the most over the top curtesy any of us had ever seen.

We skipped forward and backward in our lines and then spun around with our partner. Tom was still quiet a bit smaller than me, and so struggled to reach. So, I simply held out my hands, crossed over, and spun around with him holding on. In this position, we could go faster than everyone else.

Blanche continued to play, and we parted to watch the pair at the top of the line gallop down the middle of us. Alexander and Gwen went first, skipping over the grass. As I followed my brother and sister, I caught sight of James smiling at me out of the corner of my eye. And I couldn't help but smile back.

The dance then repeated as James and Clara galloped down the centre, then Robbie and Daniel, and finally me and Tom. Blanche played out the last few notes, and the dance ended. We all applauded Blanche, who did a rather remarkable job, considering her situation.

We all made our way back to the house, when Blanche turned around to us.

'There's a waltz here, if anyone wants to dance that? I know it from before.'

The rest of my siblings all looked to one another.

'We don't know how to waltz.' Alexander told her. 'We never needed to learn.'

'I can waltz.' James said. 'My father insisted.'

He turned to me.

'And I've seen Marion waltz, so I know she can.'

Thoughts of Christopher's ball rang through my head. And Ella's wedding.

The dancing, the food, the conversations with James. It had all been so wonderful.

'Oh, please dance a waltz!' Clara cried, clasping her hands together in front of her. The others didn't say anything, but it was clear from their expressions that they wanted me to at least try. Even if the only reason was to see me fall on my face.

James took my hand in his.

'My beautiful wife, will you honour me with a dance?'

Robbie and Tom pretended to gag, while Clara sighed.

'Why, yes husband.' I cooed. 'I will try to remain upright. But it has been a long time, so you may have to catch me when I trip.'

We moved out, away from the door a little, and James spoke in a hushed tone. 'Don't worry, I'll always be there to catch you.'

'Are you two quite done?' Blanche shouted to us.

'Yes!' I told her.

'Good. If I have to listen to you two being adorable newlyweds, I'm leaving right now.' She complained.

'We won't say a word.' I told her.

Blanche just sighed, and turned back to be pianoforte.

The familiar three beat phrase echoed through the air as James and I curtsied and bowed to each other. James's arm lifted, and wrapped itself firmly around my waist, as my own landed on his shoulder. Both of us looked down to see our other hands join.

James counted another three by nodding his head, and then he took a step forward. I took a step back in time, letting James lead. We moved in a triangular sort of shape, keeping it simple at first. I was focusing on my steps to much to notice that James was only looking at me. When my eyes finally did lift, I was the loving smile that was gracing his face. All traces of his usual smug expression had vanished.

My heart soared at the sight of it. Everything was right, everything was finally good. I had a husband I loved, and who loved me in return. We were not going to starve, we were not in hiding any longer, and that horrid Faerie had gone forever. The pure joy I felt filled me up completely, and showed on my face.

'Ready?' James whispered, as the phrase came to an end.

'Yes.' I replied. His hand tightened a little on my waist, as we prepared for the next part of the dance.

The music changed slightly, and then me and James were spinning, my gaze fixed solely on him to keep my balance. We continued to dance the waltz, but turning as we danced in a circle. My feet found they already knew exactly what they were doing, and my mind wandered. It wandered to the person I was dancing with.

The rest of the world seemed to fall away until there was only the two of us. I forgot about my brothers and sisters, even Blanche, as we danced, swept up in the magic of the moment.

There was only me and James. And that's where I always wanted to be. It didn't take a genius to work out that the same thoughts where flying through his own head.

Spinning and dancing, we continued to move , together.

'Lift?' James asked in a breathy tone.

'If you want to show off.' I whispered back.

'I always want to show you off. And you make me look good.' He teased.

I laughed a little and nodded.

'One... two... three.' James counted as our hands left each other's and both of his moved to my waist. Gripping tightly, he lifted me into the air, as we spun. It only lasted for half a moment, but I heard Gwen sand Clara gasp.

James lowered me down. Unfortunately, the ground wasn't as far away as I had though it was, and the impact startled me a little. My knees buckled at the sudden impact, causing me to lose my balance.

I fell backwards, my feet frantically trying to find something to stand on. James's arms were still around my waist, and as I fell, I felt myself pull him down too.

James's arms left my waist as he flung them out in front of him. My behind hit the ground first, followed by my back. James's hand landed on the ground on either side of my body, and he managed to stop himself falling directly onto me.

'Are you alright?' James asked.

I couldn't even feel the pain as laughter bubbled through me.

'You said you'd catch me.' I managed to get out between chuckles.

James's expression turned from one of panic to one of amusement.

'Well, you didn't give me any notice.' He teased.

'Ahem.' Came a loud cough from someone to the left of me. I turned my head to see Alexander raising his eyes brows.

It was only then did we realise the rather scandalous position we had fallen into. James was almost lying directly on top of me.

This only made me giggle some more, as James practically jumped back to try and preserve what little decency he had left in front of my family.

'Honestly! Do we all have to see that?' Blanche shouted from her seat at the piano. She had stopped playing the moment we had fallen.

'See what?' I asked innocently, as I pushed myself off the ground. I turned to James.

'Want to give them something to really complain about?' I asked.

'Always.'

Leaning forward onto my tip toes, I kissed James. Chastely, of course. But just enough to make the younger ones look away and Blanche stare at us with narrowed eyes. Clara was looking at us like she had seen a folk tale come to life.

'I'll find some way to pay you back for that Marion Brown!' Blanche told us as we made our way back towards the house.

'Well, it's a good thing that's not my name.' I teased. Blanche just stuck her tongue out at me like a child.

The sun was getting rather low, and the little ones began to yawn. While they were used to staying up late, they hadn't been used to being human all afternoon; it had really taken it out of them. Even some of the older ones looked a little tired. After all of the emotions they had been through that day, it was a wonder any of them were still standing.

'Right, bedtime I think.' I suggested, herding Gwen and Robbie back into the house. 'Bianca, are you staying? There's still a spare room if you would like it.'

It felt strange calling her Bianca, but as everyone else did, it seemed almost rude to not call her by her real name.

She seemed to consider it, and then shook her head.

'No. I think it's safer for everyone if I go back to the forest. And I don't want to make more work for you.'

'It's no trouble.' Alexander told her. 'And The servants rooms are well hidden.'

'All the same, I'd feel better knowing I hadn't put anyone other than myself in danger.' She admitted.

Alexander nodded and took over my role as person in charge of putting Robbie and Gwen to bed. Richard ran back to the library as soon as he could. Clara began yawning, and bid us all goodnight. Tom and Daniel began to speak amongst themselves.

'So, back to stealing?' I asked Bianca.

'The same as always. Stealing, hiding; only I don't know when if ever I'll be able to stop hiding. You at least had a time limit.'

'One that was shortened quite considerably.' I said.

Bianca looked over my shoulder, and then smirked at me.

'I think I better go. Your husband looks like he's waiting for you.'

Stepping back in fake shock, I gasped.

'You're not going to torment James?'

'I think I've done enough of that for one day.' She admitted. 'But tell him to watch out in the future, as I will be back.'

I smiled at my friend.

'I will do.'

Bianca leaned forward to embrace me.

'Offer still stands. You don't like it here, we'll start our own outlaw gang. I think some of your siblings already like that idea.' She told me.

'I'll keep it in mind.' I replied, pulling backwards a little.

'Tell the other's I said goodbye.' Bianca shouted over her shoulder as she turned around and began to make her way back to the trees of the forest. I waved as I watched her go, until she disappeared from sight.

I felt James walk up behind me rather than see him. His arms wrapped around my waist and he laid his head on my shoulder, his dark hair brushing against my forehead.

'You know, she's not so bad actually.' He admitted.

'Oh, so are you finally coming round to my way of thinking?' I asked him.

'Well, now I know how she watches things, it make her just a little less intimidating. Don't get me wrong; I still don't want to be on her bad side.'

'She's done the best she could out of a horrid situation. And she's still managed to stay good and hopeful. I don't think I could have done that if it had been me.' I told him.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek.

'I'm sure you would have. You survived the curse, and still come out smiling.'

The sun was now beginning to get quite low in the sky as James whispered to me.

'Would you like to go to bed?'

'I'm not tired.' I told him.

'I'm not asking if you're tired.' He said boldly, and I knew exactly what he was implying. To my surprise, I wasn't filled with trepidation or nervousness. I was filled with excitement. I wanted to do this.

I nodded to him and we walk back to the house, arm in arm.

Alexander was walking down the staircase as we began to climb it.

'They've been put to bed. I think Gwen was asleep before her head hit the pillow.' He told us. 'Where are you off to?'

James stiffened a little, but I was one step ahead and faked a large yawn.

'I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted.'

Alexander didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't say anything.

'We'll see you in the morning.' I said, and began to walk back up the stairs. Alexander just continued back down and turned off as if to go to the kitchen.

Neither James or I said anything as we made our way down the corridor towards his room. I glance around quickly to make sure no one was looking; not that it would have made much difference. James practically threw open the door and held it open as I walked through it. I whispered my thanks as I went past, still not quite believing I could do such simple things again. I was never going to take my ability to speak for granted ever again.

I made it about three steps inside the room when I heard the door close. Turning around to smile at my husband, I found he had already caught up to me, as he placed his hands on my cheeks.

'My love.' He whispered.

'My love.' I echoed. How long I had wanted to say that.

James lowered his face to mine, his lips brushing mine softly.

It was meant to be soft and sweet, but I'd had enough of going slow. Pulling him in tighter to me, I deepened the kiss, clinging to him as if my life depended on it.

James's hands moved from my face, down my neck, my waist and eventually settled on the small of my back, right where the laces to my dress lay knotted up.

He pulled back, a little weary.

'We don't have to... I'm not going to force... if there's anything you're not comfortable with...'

My usually confident husband sound so nervous, so unsure of himself.

In response, I moved my own hands from his hair, down his neck and began to push the jacket he was wearing from his shoulders.

'I want to.' I told him, boldly. And I really did want to. 'I've waited long enough. And now the curse is gone, I think I deserve some reward, don't you think?'

James smirked. 'That, you certainly do.'

His jacket fell completely off his shoulders, and he shrugged the rest of it off his arms. It fell to the floor with a soft thump. As soon as it was gone, his hands returned to the small of my back.

'I love you.' He told me. And I knew he meant it.

'I love you too.' I replied.

And then his mouth met mine once more.

* * *

When I had woken that morning, I was silent and a maiden.

By the time I fell asleep, I was neither.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven.**

The morning sun shone brightly through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating everything in a beautiful shade of gold. The beams of light drifted into the room and landed on the unclothed person beside me.

James's hair was ruffled, a small amount of stubble had just begun to form on his chin, and the ghost of a smile from the night was still gracing his handsome face.

I lay on my side, sheets wrapped around me, watching my husband's sleeping form. I too, was smiling. James's left arm was flung out, holding me around my waist, even as he slept. It was as if he hadn't wanted to let me go all night.

And what a night it had been. I blushed just recalling some of the finer details.

We certainly no longer qualified for an annulment. The slight ache in a certain part of my body reminded me of that.

My first instinct on waking up had been to go and open the door to let my siblings out, as they would have all turned back into animals as soon as isla broke. It took about half a minute for the memories of the previous day to come crisaacing into me, and I fell back down on the bed.

Over! It was finally over.

My family were no longer animals, we didn't have to hide anymore, and I had my voice back!

As long as I lived, I swore that I would never have to live in silence ever again. Those three and a half months had been torture. I'd endured more than my share of hardships. It was time for something to go right for me.

And things were definitely already going well for me.

I'd been lying there for the best part of half an hour, just watching him sleep. He was so calm when he slept, all traces of the smug expression he usually wore vanished from his face the moment he closed his eyes.

Boldly, I let my eyes wander a little further than his face. Down his neck, and over his back, to where the bedsheets began, tangled around his own waist. He slept on his front, like he nearly always did.

There was an ache in my heart as I looked at him. Not a bad ache, not at all. But rather an ache of longing, as if I could never be close enough to him, like I could never tire of him.

My gaze travelled back up his spine to his sleeping face, and I thought again how on earth had he come to be mine? How had I deserved such kindness from him, and such love. He was mine as much as I was his; utterly and completely. And I didn't want it any other way. I really was truly in love with him, and happy to be so.

As much as I would have like to lie around all day staring at my husband, the more rational part of my brain began to get a little bored. I itched to be doing something useful. Being idle wasn't really something I was very good at. After that month with the servants, when I felt like I couldn't do anything, I knew I was happier when I was working, or at least had something to occupy my mind with.

I could just about see the sun through the curtains and could work out that isla had been a fair few hours ago.

Shifting in the bed slightly, I gently picked up James's arm and removed it from my waist. He remained still fast asleep as I placed it back down on the empty bed.

I peered over the side of the bed and saw my discarded dress in a pile on the floor. We'd been too busy to bother putting it away. I debated trying to put it back on when I spied the laces and knew that it was going to be more trouble than it was worth.

I was only going to go to my bedroom, the room directly adjacent to his. But I had not a scrap of clothing on me, and I knew I wasn't confident enough to even walk the few steps without something to cover me.

Looking around to see if I could find... anything, I finally spied James's shirt lying on the ground at the foot of the bed. That would have to do.

I pulled the bed sheets tightly around me, pressing them against my chest. Then slowly, I began to try and crawl to the foot of the bed, without disturbing James.

I made it until I was about two feet from the edge of the bed when I heard a large intake of breath from behind me. I continued to move but was stopped a few moments later.

Warm strong arms encircled me from behind, halting any movement.

'And where do you think you're going?' Came a rough, sleep filled voice, as his fingers spread across my bare waist and his lips pressed lightly into the back of my neck.

'To go and get changed. To make breakfast. Everyone will be up soon, if not already.' I told him, making no effort to continue moving.

James kissed the back of my neck again, sending shivers down my spine. Then inching forwards, he kissed the side of my neck. It was as if he was trying to kiss every exposed inch of me.

'So, this isn't a dream then?' He asked, his mouth travelling further upwards.

'No, why did you think it was one.'

'Because,' he mumbled, reaching my jaw. 'I awoke to see the beautiful form of my lovely wife, and thought it was an angel. But then she started talking about silly things like making breakfast.'

I turned around a little, so I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

He was kneeling behind me, his front pressed into my back, his head was obscured by a tangle of his dark brown hair.

'Breakfast isn't silly. And someone has to make it. You don't want to see Alexander until he's had something to eat.'

James lifted his head to meet my gaze. He looked so happy, still in his sleep muddled world.

'Let one of the others handle it.' He told me. 'For I have plans for you.'

My blood heated instantly, rushing to my face. James's hand on my waist pulled me backwards a little, and I giggled as he let go of me to move around on the bed, so he could face me.

'Do you want your kitchen destroyed? Because that's what will happen if one of the younger ones decides they're hungry.'

'Our.'

'What?' I asked him.

'Our kitchen, not mine.' He declared. 'What's mine is yours.'

My heart fluttered. I knew that it was mine, but somewhere, deep down, I knew that I would always think of the Manor and everything in it as James's. I only owned it due to my marriage. I hadn't worked for it, I didn't pay for the food, I didn't have to worry about tenants or rent like he did.

'We're married. I'm sure you remember.' He teased, as he hovered over me. 'There was a ceremony, flowers, a stupid priest.'

'I think I recall.' I replied. 'And I'm pretty sure you're stuck with me for good now.'

James lowered his face to mine but didn't kiss me.

'Marion, I wouldn't wish it any other way.'

And then he kissed me.

* * *

We didn't leave the bedroom for a considerably time after that.

The only reason we moved was because we heard a knock on my bedroom door followed by a small voice.

'Marion? Are you coming down for breakfast? Daniel made porridge.'

I knew it was Gwen on the other side of the door to my bedroom, and knew she'd walk in. After all, we had shared a room for the entirety of her life at the cottage.

James was the one who managed the situation by throwing on a nightgown and a robe and opening the door just enough for him to slip out, and Gwen not see in.

'I think Marion's still asleep.' James told her.

'But Marion never sleeps in. She's always awake before everyone else.' Gwen cried.

I heard James falter for a moment.

'I think the curse disappearing yesterday made her so excited that she couldn't get to sleep last night, so she's still asleep now.' He told her.

'Shall I go and wake her up?' Gwen asked excitedly. I winced. Gwen's version of waking someone up would be to jump on them until they had to move, if only to avoid a broken rib.

'No, let her sleep. I'll try and wake her up soon. You go and have a nice breakfast.'

Gwen's little footsteps echoed off the corridor as she disappeared, and James walked back through the door.

I was grinning, having heard every word.

'Can I get up now?' I asked in a teasing tone.

James removed his robe, but not his nightshirt. A sly smile graced his face.

'Well! For someone who should be asleep, you certainly seem lively.' He said, taking a step towards the bed.

'Do I?' I asked innocently.

'Yes. Now, I reckon we have about ten minutes before another one of your many siblings decides to come knocking, and I have to wake you up. How ever shall we spend the time?' He asked boldly.

'I wonder?' I replied, tapping my chin in contemplation.

James climbed onto the bed and took me in his arms.

'I wonder too. It's a complete mystery.'

Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him. Capturing his mouth with mine, I left him in no doubt of what I was thinking.

* * *

Half an hour later, I was finally out of bed and dressed, looking half presentable. We were all sat at the table, and I'd had to endure a fair few questions about why I slept in so late. I didn't lie but tried to turn the conversation onto literally anything else. Alexander kept giving me sideways glances. He knew something was up but wasn't quite sure what.

The clean up after breakfast didn't take long at all, mainly because I now had seven helpers. We scrubbed and cleaned and dried the bowls and pots and was finished in practically no time.

But after that, we all had a few moments of confusion.

We had not a clue as to what to do with ourselves.

They had been animals for so long. We'd all settled into a routine that revolved around the fact they needed to be outside. And my routine involves being alone in the house.

Now we were free to do as we wished. And no one knew what they wanted to do.

Only Richard had a vague idea. He wanted to lock himself in the library and not emerge until he knew everything that was contained within those books.

We couldn't even fall back on our old routine from Rault. Father had been alive then, and Alexander and Daniel had gone out poaching. I hadn't even been there; I'd been in Milton.

James still had paperwork to sort out from the previous day. He claimed it would only take an hour or two if he was left alone to do it.

Daniel suggested we start planning something for his birthday. I'd almost forgotten he was turning eighteen in two days. I had originally thought it would be something similar to James, as they wouldn't have been human. But now they were, we could actually celebrate his birthday properly.

As for the rest of them...

Alexander seemed a little lost. He'd always had something to do. Whether he was working in the fields with father, or trying to find work, or poaching, he'd always been occupied.

But now, there was no need for him to work.

Just to keep them all occupied, I set them all to work spring cleaning; regardless of the fact it was the middle of August. I told them to strip all the beds, do the laundry, dust out the rooms, and make the beds back up again. We even turned it into a little competition as to who could get it done the quickest.

Daniel and Clara both smirked. They were the only other one apart from me who had been servants, and therefore knew how to clean rather quickly.

I counted down, revelling in the fact I could count out loud, and they all ran off around the house.

In all the commotion, I slipped away and knocked on the door to James's study.

'Come in.' Came a shout from the other side. I pushed the door open and slipped through.

James didn't even look up as I entered, his focus completely on the many pieces of paper sprawled on his desk, a quill in his hand.

Using the fact, he was distracted, I walked up behind him and placed my chin on his shoulder. He didn't jump, but acknowledged my presence win a slight nod of his head.

'What's got you so interested?' I asked, trying to work out which of the many papers he was staring at.

'Nothing for you to worry about.' He replied.

I frowned.

'That makes it sound like you have something to hide.' I teased, placing my hands on his shoulders.

'Maybe I do.' He teased right back.

'Hmmm...' I mumbled. 'I wonder what it could be.'

James finally looked up from the desk and moved a piece of paper out of my reach.

'You'll find out soon enough.' He told me, pushing back his chair a little so he could turn to face me.

'What if I want to know now?' I asked, trying to peer over his shoulder to see what was written on that paper he was trying to get me not to read.

He extended his arm out, so it wrapped around the back of my waist. Then, he pulled me forward until I practically fell into his lap, his smug smile gracing his face the entire time.

'Now, let me think...' I pondered. 'Something I don't need to worry about, but you seem very interested in.'

'Go on.' He encouraged, his other hand wrapping around my back.

'Something you don't want me seeing.' I said, trying once again to look over to where that paper was still lying on the desk. I spied the word 'house', written in James's handwriting.

'Something to do with this house?' I asked.

'No.' He replied with a sly grin.

'Do you have another house?'

'No.'

'Is it someone else's house?'

'Perhaps.'

'Someone you know?'

'Very possibly.'

I tapped my chin in mock concentration.

'So, something I shouldn't be concerned with, to do with someone you know, and their house.'

James just waited to see what I would guess.

Biting my lip, I decided to bait him, and punish him just a little for ignoring me when I had first entered the room.

'Is it your mistress?' I asked.

James's mouth fell open in shock, and some of the colour drained from his face.

I knew he didn't have a mistress. I had complete and utter faith in him. But it was rather fun to mess with him.

'I don't! I'd never, ever...! How could you think that?'

I burst out laughing. His reaction had been just too good.

James seem to catch up with the fact I was only teasing him, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

The sly grin returned to his face as his arms tightened around me, ever so slightly.

'No, it is not my mistress's house.' He told me in a low voice. 'What possible reason could I have for having a mistress?'

His arms tightened even more around me, as he pulled me in, until I was practically pressed against his chest, Our faces just a few inches away from each other.

'I'm not sure.' I responded, my voice becoming breathless. The words didn't have the bravado i intended them to have.

'There is no reason on this earth,' James began, lowering his lips to my cheek to give me a soft kiss, 'why I would ever want a mistress. My wife keeps me quite occupied.'

'Does she indeed?' I almost whispered, as his lips moved further down my cheek to my jaw.

'Yes. I happened to have married one of the loveliest.'

A kiss pressed to my jaw.

'Fiercest.'

Another kiss, just on the top of my neck.

'Strongest.'

He kissed the column of my neck, and I had to fight to keep my breathing normal.

'And most beautiful.'

One last kiss was placed just where my neck met my shoulder.

'Women in the world.'

James pulled back to see my reaction. I hardly knew how to breathe, how to stop my heart hammering in my chest.

Summoning up the last of my confidence, I smirked.

'So, you're quite dedicated to her then.'

'I am completely under her spell, and very happy to be so.'

I didn't have a response to give him, so I leaned forward and captured his mouth with my own.

I melted into that kiss, as James held me tightly. I knew I loved him, I had known for a while. But in that moment, it almost consumed me.

We broke apart after a few minutes, mainly as we could both hear the sounds of seven people running around demanding cloths or dusters off each other as they cleaned.

'So, what does it actually say then?' I asked James, my head leaning on his shoulder.

'It was meant to be a surprise.' He huffed.

'A surprise?'

'Yes. And you've gone and ruined it.' He teased.

I pressed a kiss to his cheek and mumbled an apology.

'It's alright. I'll make you make up for it later.' He whispered. I blushed.

Then, he let one of his arms drop from my waist and reach out to grab the paper.

Passing it to me, I began to read it quickly.

It as a letter, from James, to this woman called Bessie. He was asking her to ready the house in preparation of a visit in two days. He would be arriving with his new wife.

'So, who is this Bessie?' I asked.

'The housekeeper. At Christopher's seaside house.'

I straighten up in surprise.

'We're going to the seaside?' I asked, the excitement evident.

'Well, we never got to go on a honeymoon. And now the curse is over, I thought we might as well have one.'

I looked back down at the paper, and my smile faltered a little.

'What is it?' James asked. 'Do you not want to go? Is there somewhere else you want to go instead?'

'No.' I assured him. 'But can we put it off for one more day?'

'Why?'

'It's Daniel's Birthday in two days. He's turning eighteen.'

James cursed under his breath.

'That's why the date sounded familiar.'

He took a deep breath and took the paper back from me.

'I suppose I better start writing another letter.' He sighed.

'You said it was Christopher's house?' I asked.

'Well, technically, it's still his father's. He is the Duke after all. But Christopher uses it far more than Duke William ever does.'

'So, have you written to Christopher. Or Ella? Do they know the curse is broken?' I asked.

James shook his head a few stray strands of hair fell over his forehead.

'No. I haven't had chance to write to them yet. I was too... occupied yesterday.' He said, in a tone that left me in no doubt about what he was implying.

I bit my lip out of instinct.

'Then how are we going to stay at his house if you haven't asked him?'

'Christopher gave me permission to use that house years ago. Philip and Antony can too. Although I'm pretty sure that Philip's father also owns a house by the sea, which they use. I just have to inform the housekeeper to make sure no one else is using it.'

I thought about it for a moment, and then asked.

'Can I write to Ella? To tell her the curse is over?'

'Marion, you can write to whoever you want to.'

I smiled a little.

'I know. But I mean can you send it? I still don't know where to go, or who to go to.'

James smiled back.

'Of course. I may as well write to Christopher, just to be polite and inform him we're staying in his house. Not that he can do anything about it.'

'I wonder if they know anything?'

'About what?' James asked.

'About the Faerie. They said he'd been spotted visiting Lady...Anne, or whatever her name is. They might be able to find out if he's really gone.'

'Lady Annette.' James corrected me. 'She had her baby, a few weeks ago. A little boy.'

Just then, a particularly loud shout came from just outside the study door.

'Has anyone cleaned the study?' Came the recognisable sound of Robbie's voice.

I silently berated myself for making the cleaning into a competition.

'No! Let me do it!' Shouted Gwen.

I had just enough time to jump out of James's lap before the door opened and Gwen and Robbie almost fell into the room.

They both blinked when they saw me and James staring at them.

I frantically tried to think of something to say, when James stood up.

'You're a little late. Marion's already cleaned this room.' He told them.

'Then why is it so messy?' Robbie asked, pointing to the untidy pile of paper still over James's desk.

'Um...' He said quietly.

'James is working and needs all of these papers. I'm just cleaning around him.' I said, hoping they would just believe me.

Neither of them said anything. It was if they were trying to work out if they could trust me or not.

'Come on.' I said, herding them out. 'Let's go and clean the music room before Clara and Daniel get there first.'

They both shouted in agreement, and grabbed my hands, dragging me towards the music room. I had just enough time to turn my head to see James smirking at me before I was pulled out of sight of the study and forced by my ten and eight year old siblings to clean.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a flurry of motion. The cleaning of the entire manor took up the entire day, even though we had eight people helping. James finished organising things for our trip and then joined us while we were hanging out the laundry. I'd managed to hide James's bedsheets from the others until they were clean. After last night, they had a small patch of blood staining them, the remainder of my maidenhead. I scrubbed them until it was completely gone, not regretting a moment of it.

I found a spare half an hour after lunchtime to write a quick letter to Ella, telling her that the curse was broken, and asking her if she knew anything about what had happened to the Faerie. Even though I knew he was probably dead, there was no harm in having it confirmed.

I also wrote to Isabelle and Amelia, my good friends from Milton. I had been gone over four months and hadn't really had time to tell them what had happened. Isabelle would have turned seventeen since the last time I had seen her, so I also included my apologies for wishing her a very late happy birthday.

By the time the beds were made up and the dinner was cooked and eaten, the sun was already beginning to set.

James had informed my family over dinner that we were to take a trip, and he asked the older ones if they were alright to stay at the Manor on their own for a week. Alexander had assured him they would be fine.

I knew they would be. When Father has taken ill, they had all managed on their own for a few days until I had arrived. And I wasn't sure how much help I had been once Father had passed.

After dinner, we played some card games and some other running games at Gwen's insistence.

James took Alexander to one side during the games to speak to him. I couldn't help but smile when I saw them disappear.

James had told me earlier what he had planned to speak to Alexander about. Mainly because I had suggested something similar.

Alexander had always had something to do. He hated being idle, even more than I did. He always felt like he had to be the one to shoulder he load when it came to our family. He was the eldest boy, and in his mind that made him the bread winner. So, a life where he could sit around all day, being a man of leisure would not suit him, at all. I had asked James if there was some way Alexander could help. Some task he could do around the Manor or the local village, something to keep him occupied. James had just smiled and said he would see what he could do.

So, when James and Alexander returned, they had a little announcement to make.

'Alexander here, has agreed to be my assistant, of sorts. Particularly overseeing farm work.' James told us all.

'Assistant of sorts?' Daniel asked, looking a little sceptical.

'Well, I don't actually know anything about managing estates, like James does.' Alexander admitted.

'And I know nothing about farm work, only how to collect rent from it. Alexander knows how to actually work the fields and has ideas as to how to improve it. I wouldn't know where to begin.' James informed us.

'So, we're sort of helping each other out. I get taught how to manage estates, and James gets my experience of farm work.' Alexander explained.

I didn't say anything but was delighted. I knew Alexander would put everything he had into something like this. He'd have a reason to get out of the house and do something useful.

'Well, here's your first task, take over from me when Marion and I go away.' James told him.

Alexander paled a little.

'James!' I scolded him, for scaring my brother.

'Don't worry. I'll finish up the paperwork until after next week before we leave. If anyone comes asking for me, try and get them to come back next week. Just make sure the house doesn't burn down, or we get robbed.' James told him, giving him a sharp pat on the back.

Alexander looked a little relieved, but there was still that hint of nervousness in his face.

We finished up the games, as the little ones were beginning to yawn.

I told them to be up early the next day, as we were all going to the nearest town to order some clothes. As they were all human again, they needed more than one set of clothes. Clara had been borrowing mine as we were almost the same size, and James had lent Alexander and Daniel a few shirts and jackets. But the others had only the clothes they had on, and their nightshirts. So, James had agreed to pay the bill if we went and got some new ones.

He told me we could have as many as we liked, but I made them all only order three. There were seven of them, and the cost would mount up quite considerably. It was a lesson my mother has instilled in me long ago. We didn't have much money, so we bought the cheapest clothes we could get and used them until we grew out of them, or they were threadbare. Even though we had plenty of money now, part of me still have into the urge to get everything as cheaply as possible. And we'd managed perfectly well in Rault with only a few changes of clothes each. We could survive off what we had, but it was always nice to have options.

Alexander and Clara put the little ones to bed, and then came back downstairs to join Daniel, James and myself enjoying a glass of wine. Clara had never had one before, and she seemed to enjoy it immensely.

We'd never had it in the house. In fact, the first time I drank wine was at Christopher's Ball. But as we were still celebrating the end of the curse, I saw no harm in letting her have one or two sips.

The five of us just talked, about nothing in particular. I spent the entire time simply marvelling at the fact I could speak! There were some moments where it still didn't seem real. It still hadn't fully sunk in that it was over, and those months of silence and torment were finally at an end.

It was over, finished with completely. A part of my life that I never wanted to have to live through ever again.

I was free, and happy, and loved.

After about an hour or so, Daniel and Clara were yawning to, and decided to go to bed. Leaving James and me, with Alexander.

We fell into silence for a few moments before Alexander finally cleared his throat.

'I just thought I should say...' he started, taking a deep breath. He was clearly as uncomfortable as we were.

'I don't want to know, what, or if, or any of that. Just that the curse is over, and Arry can speak again, so...'

I waited for him to continue. He was a red as a strawberry and looking to the floor.

'It's all over. Any agreement made with me, you're not held to it. Arry's her own person, and what she does should not be influenced by me. I was wrong to even ask it in the first place.' He admitted.

'You were trying to protect your sister. You weren't wrong.' James assured him.

'I think Arry can take care of herself.' Alexander told us.

'Oh yes I most certainly can!' I declared, smirking at both of them.

Alexander finished the rest of his wine in one mouthful. Setting the glass back down on the table, he stood.

'That's all I wanted to say. And I don't want to ever have to repeat this conversation. Arry, it's your turn when Clara finds a young man.' He said, making for the door.

'No! That's not fair' I cried, as Alexander promptly left and closed the door behind him.

James turned to me.

'Well, that wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was expecting.'

'He's embarrassed. I'm embarrassed!' I said. 'I don't see why my younger brother was even a part of this conversation.'

'Because he wants to protect you. All of you.' James told me.

I curled up to him, shifting myself on the sofa until my head rested on his shoulder.

'Thank you for doing that for him. Giving him something to do.' I said quietly.

'Why? He's the one helping me! I should be thanking him.'

I glanced up to see James smirking.

'You know what I mean. He won't let you down.'

'I'm counting on it.'

James leaned back so he could see my face.

'Are you tired?'

'Maybe a little.' I admitted.

'Shall we go to bed then?' He asked, trying to pull me up just a bit.

I raised my eyebrow at him.

'To bed? Or to sleep?'

James's answering grin was all the answer I needed.

And as we made it up the stairs and to his bedroom, all I could think about was how happy I was. How everything had turned out right, and this was the beginning of something wonderful with James.

James shut the door behind us and proceeded to make me very happy indeed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve.**

Two days later, the trunk we had packed was being loaded onto the carriage, as I said goodbye to my brothers and sister.

'Why can't we all go too?' Gwen complained. As soon as she found out where we were going, she had begged to be brought along. I had told her that it was my honeymoon, and people don't usually bring their family along with them, and James had promised to take her to see the sea soon.

Daniel had joked that we could take him as a birthday present, and I had argued that the smart jacket we had given him was enough. While the others had all purchased clothes, Daniel had been allowed to choose one more item, as it was his eighteenth birthday. He'd selected a lovely brown velvet jacket with silver decorations. Even though I had been a seamstress for almost two years, I had to admire the detailing. Whoever had made it had a real gift.

His birthday had been a pleasant day, the sun had been shining brightly over head. Daniel seemed to have enjoyed it, ordering everyone around and claiming that as it was his birthday, they all had to listen to him. He had Tom and Robbie run and fetch him drinks all day. He'd gotten Richard to read to him, and me and Clara to cook. Gwen hadn't wanted to be left out, so at one point, he asked her to fan him. She'd gotten a little over excited and accidentally hit him in the face a couple of times before he's asked her to stop.

We'd had enough food to qualify as a feast, and a lot of cake to keep the younger ones happy. We'd also played games, of which the birthday boy was the champion of a fair number of those. Daniel had also given a rather long speech about how he lamented the end of his childhood, and how he must become a man. We'd all been in stitches when he finished it.

But that night, me and James had sorted out the clothes we wished to take to the seaside, and packed them into the trunk that was now strapped to the back of the carriage. James had hired it to take us there and back. He didn't have a carriage, as he preferred horseback to carriage rides, and there had not been anyone else in the house to justify keeping the one his father had owned.

I embraced each of my siblings in turn, and whispered 'good luck' to Alexander and Daniel who were now in charge. Alexander looked a little apprehensive about the coming week, as he was to be left in charge of James's business matters. There wasn't anything major he had to do, but he was still left with the responsibility.

James shook hands with my elder brothers and kissed Clara on the cheek, before ruffling Tom and Robbie's hair and embracing Gwen. He then extended his hand to me and we both climbed into the carriage.

I waved out of the window as the driver cracked the whip on the horses, and we began to move out of the manor's grounds, my family waving goodbye.

I'd only ever been in a carriage a few times before, mainly when Ella had provided one for me. I was much more used to walking everywhere, or travelling on the back of a cart. A carriage was a luxury I'd never been able to afford.

'Excited?' James asked, when I finally closed the window

'Very. I've never seen the sea before.' I admitted.

James's jaw dropped.

'How have you never seen the sea?'

'We never went. I hardly travelled outside of Rault until I moved to Milton. Father was always working, and Mother was always with child, or looking after the newest baby. Gwen was only five when she died.'

James was still staring at me incredulously.

'Oh, close your mouth!' I scolded him. 'Not all of us had money like you did. We were lucky if there was food enough on the table. Going to the seaside was never an option for us.'

The coast wasn't very far away from Rault. Only about three hours in a carriage. It was about four from Thorne Manor.

'I just couldn't imagine never having gone.' James admitted as the carriage rattled on through the forest.

'Did you go often?' I asked.

'My mother used to take me, when I was small. I barely remember it.' James told me with a sad smile on his face. 'It was so long ago. She died when I was eleven.'

'I'm sorry.' I offered.

'It's fine. We used to leave my father behind at the Manor and go and play in the sand. I remember her splashing me with the sea water. It was the only time she used to truly laugh.'

He looked down to the floor of the carriage.

'My parents didn't marry out of love. It was arranged. My father was... difficult. To say the least. He always wanted to be richer, more powerful. He was very ambitious. In fact, he sent me to Ashburne purely to force me to make connections with boys who were my social superior. He was delighted when he met Christopher, as you can imagine. My mother's marriage to him was just another way to advance himself in the world.'

He finally lifted his gaze.

'He wasn't cruel to her. Never violent or abusive. But she wasn't happy. Even though I was only a child, I saw the way he spoke down to her, the way he decided he knew best. Those times when it was just me and my mother, those were the times she truly laughed and smiled.'

I reached forward and took his hand.

'How did she die?'

James sighed.

'Childbirth. The baby didn't make it either. I think my father was more disappointed he didn't have another child to manipulate, than he was sad about her passing.'

With his hand in my own, and lifted it and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. The corners of James's mouth twisted upwards ever so slightly.

'I'm sorry.'

'What about you? How did your mother die?' He asked.

'The fever. It had killed Ella's father the day before. Ella's stepmother threw Clara, Daniel and myself out of the house, and we returned home only to have mother collapse and pass that night.'

The memory of it made my heart ache. That seemed so long ago. I hadn't visited my mother's grave in so long. Over three years had passed, and I still missed her. Deeply.

And I missed Father too. But he had never recovered from his wife's death. I saw it in his eyes. Before she had died, there had been such life in them. His stormy grey eyes that we all possessed. But after she passed...

There had always been something missing. His smiles had no longer been filled with happiness. There had been times when I had found him sitting in silence, staring at something that had been hers. He just didn't have that joy anymore. Like a light had gone out.

So there was some small comfort to be had in the knowledge that they were now somewhere, reunited. I hoped with all my heart that he had found that light again. Even if we couldn't ever know.

'Sorry. That must have been horrible.' He said. 'From what Ella told me, you were with her when Sir Henry died.'

I nodded. I had witnessed two deaths in two days. It was something I never wanted to have to go through again.

'He was a good man. He just didn't have the best judgment when it came to choosing his new wife. But, it was forced on him, so I can't blame him too much. He would have done anything for Ella. And Lady Eleanor. He was more than kind to Lady Evil, more than she deserved.'

'Lady Evil?' He asked.

'Lady Kingston. Jaqueline's mother. I hated her on sight, and the nickname just kind of stuck.'

James laughed a little.

'Is that the one you stormed past that day we rescued Ella?'

'Yes, that was the evil cow.'

James chuckles a little more.

'Well, at least we never have to bother with her again. Once was enough for me.' He admitted.

We fell into silence. I didn't want to have to talk about Lady Evil. In my opinion, Ella was far too forgiving where her step mother was concerned. She had made her pay back what she had taken from Ella's inheritance, but left her alone after that. If I had been her, with the ability to punish her, I would have done far, far worse.

The silence didn't last long. James began teasing me, flirting with me, to the point where I thought the carriage driver would simply stop the horses and walk away so he didn't have to hear us. As Blanche had put it a few days before, we were being 'adorable newlyweds.'

I, on the other hand, rather enjoyed his attention, and flirted back with him.

And so, the four hours was passed rather quickly, with a mixture of conversation, flirting, sleeping, and kissing.

My head a resting on James's shoulder when he gently shook me awake at the end of the journey.

'Marion, we're here.' He whispered as my eyes fluttered open and a peered out of the carriage window.

It was beautiful.

Utterly beautiful.

The sun shone brightly down on the shimmering sea, which writhed and crashed onto the sand. The lovely blue colour stretched out for miles, to the ends of the earth, and then disappearing behind the lighter blue horizon. Waves lapped at the shore, the sea form tumbling over the crest of the waves, to fall to the rocks beneath.

I'd never seen anything like it before. The sea was so clear, it was like glass, allowing me to see the sand that lay beneath the surface.

My breath was quite taken away from me as the carriage pulled to a stop in front of a small house.

'So, I take it you like it?' James asked, hopping out of the carriage, and then extend his hand to me. I only saw it out of the corner of my eye as my gaze was still solidly fixed on the enchanting scene before me.

'Marion?' James asked, a little louder an My head snapped around to look at him. He was smirking, as I knew he would be.

The carriage driver was already unstrapping the trunk from the back as I took James's hand and jumped out of the carriage. My legs felt stiff after so long being sat down and my neck felt like it needed to click back into place after falling asleep on James's shoulder.

The door to the house opened, and a woman slowly made her way towards us. She was quite old, silver and white streaks shone through her brown hair, and wrinkles lined her face. Even her walk suggested her age.

'Bessie, how lovely to see you again.' James greeted her.

Bessie looked a little skeptically at him.

'Sir James. I hope this time your not here to destroy half of the house!' She scolded him.

I looked towards him, my own eyebrows raised in question.

'No, never again. I promise you.' James told the housekeeper. 'I learned my lesson. And my wife is here to keep me in check this time.'

James gestures to me as a way of introduction.

'Bessie, this is my lovely new wife Marion. Marion, this is Christopher's housekeeper Bessie, who has had to deal with me on several occasions, and has always emerged the victor.'

'You'll have to give me lessons.' I said, smiling at Bessie. 'Someone needs to keep you in your place.'

Bessie chuckled a little.

'Oh, I like her.' She laughed. Then pointing inside the house she told the carriage driver where to place the trunk.

'You'll have to carry it up yourself.' She told James. 'I don't think I'm up for it. And after last time, you owe me.'

I could help but be intrigued about what exactly James had done the last time he had been here.

The housekeeper led us inside, and gave us a very quick layout of the house.

'Drawing room to your right, study to your left. Kitchen is down through that door, and the washroom is connected to the main bedroom. I presume you don't need the guest rooms upstairs making up.'

Both of us shook our heads.

'Good. Because I don't have the energy to do it right now.' She told us, before opening the door to the kitchen.

'There's a girl from the village who will act as cook. She's arriving in about half and hour. I'll let you get settled.'

Then, she turned around and closed the door behind her, leaving me and James alone in the hallway.

I simply waited for James to turn to me and ask 'What?'

I glanced between the door to the kitchen and him.

'What happened last time you were here?'

James sighed.

'It was a few years ago, and the four of us came here for a few days. We hadn't seen each other much since Ashburne, so we all met here. There may have been quite a lot of wine consumed... and several rooms were left in a state where most of the furniture needed to be replaced.'

I burst out laughing.

'What did you do to make that much mess?'

'That's just it. None of us can remember. I imagine whatever it was would give Christopher cause to make me never use the tree story against him again, but thankfully none of us have a clue what happened that night. Bessie gave us hell for it though the next morning. Made us clean up most of it. We lifted the furniture out of the house while she dealt with the considerable amount of vomit we had left behind.'

That only made me laugh harder.

'She's right to be angry at you. As a former servant, I know how hard it is to clean up something like that. I'm surprised your allowed back here at all.' I told him.

'To be fair, none of us can remember who did what. I may be perfectly innocent in all of this.' He said, trying to defend himself.

'I highly doubt that.'

James walked over to the trunk the carriage driver had left in the hallway and picked it up, grunting with the effort.

'So, what's her story?' I asked.

'Whose?'

'Bessie. She seems a little old and... inefficient to be a housekeeper. She said she didn't even have the energy to make up beds.'

James heaved the trunk down the corridor and I followed. He finally set it down and turned to me.

'From what I gather, she used to be the old housekeeper at the Palace, before Prudence. But her body is not what it used to be, and she had to take things steadier, which was not ideal for her work. So, Duke William moved her here. The house only gets used a couple of weeks out of the year, so she doesn't have to do much and she still gets paid. She has no family to look after her in her old age, so has to work.' He explained. 'She still has her sharp tongue, and commanding manner, that hasn't changed over the years.'

I moved over to the trunk and unfastened the clasp. Pulling out the dresses I had chosen, I began to hang them in the wardrobe that stood in the corner of the room.

It was a lovely room. Cream and pale blue paper lined the walls in strips, and the large window showed a direct view to the sea, shimmering and shining. There was a large bed against one wall; a desk and wardrobe against the other. The final wall contained a door, which I guessed led to the washroom.

I hung up all the clothes we had brought, not wishing any of the crinkles to set in the fabric.

James walked up behind me before I had finished.

'Can we take a walk to the sea? I want to be able to touch it.' I told him.

'Are you sure? It's rather cold.' He said, his hands settling on my hips.

'Well, I wouldn't know, would I?' I teased back as I hung up the final shirt he had brought. 'And I could do with stretching my legs. I think they are still asleep.'

I think I felt his grin growing on his face, rather than saw it. Boldly, he pulled my back by my hips, pressing my back to his front.

'We could,' He began, whispering the words into my ear. 'Or, we could do something else that would wake you up.'

His lips pressed against the shell of my ear for emphasis, and my knees went weak almost instantly.

'After all,' He continued, 'we are on our honeymoon.'

I spun around so I was facing him, my hands moving up to brush my fingers over his cheekbone.

'I think, this is the first time we've been properly alone.' I noted. 'No siblings to interrupt.'

James sighed.

'No, just a housekeeper who already doesn't think well of me. I'm sure she has no qualms about walking in anywhere in this house. I'm not sure which is worse.'

I leaned forward slightly and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, where my fingers had been just seconds before.

'Let me see what I can do. I'm sure as a fellow servant I can talk to her, and persuade her to leave us alone for a while.' I told him.

He raised his eyebrow at me in question.

'You're very confident of your ability to persuade people.'

I smirked.

'And why shouldn't I be? I've persuaded you to do quite a few things.'

'Indeed you have Lady Thorne.' He said, his hands tightening on my hips. 'But what if I was to try and persuade you to do something right now?'

I bit my lip.

'I'm listening.' I told him, as I pressed a kiss to his lips.

* * *

We did eventually make it out of the house to have a walk down to the shore. It was about a hour later when we left the house. The girl from the village had arrived, and the smell of cooking meat drifted up throughout the house as we left.

James led the way, over some mounds of sand covered in reeds that he called 'dunes'.

And then came my first step on sand.

Removing my shoes and stockings, my legs inched forward to place my foot directly on the soft yellow surface.

It felt so strange, to see and feel the ground beneath you move as you stepped. Grains of sand worked their way between my toes, and I found I almost didn't know how to walk. It took a few steps to get my balance completely right.

James was trying his best not to laugh.

'What?' I asked, taking a step towards him.

'Nothing. You just look a bit like a trembling fawn learning to walk.' He told me.

I scoffed.

'No I don't. I saw Robbie learning to walk as a fawn, and I am not doing what he did.'

James simply held his hands up in defeat.

I finally managed to master walking on sand, and then we were off to the shoreline.

The sand beneath my feet got colder and more compact the closer we got, sometimes it became something similar to mud. I marvelled at it, but James walked over it like it was completely normal.

And then, we came to the sea.

The never ending, beautiful sea.

It glimmered: the waves catching the sun before the crashed over the sand, spraying droplets and foam everywhere.

James rolled up the bottom of his trousers so they stayed just below his knees. I lifted up my dress a little so I wouldn't stain the hem.

Then, we took a step forward.

James was right, the sea was definitely cold.

It was so cold, I was surprised it wasn't ice. It quite took my breath away, and made my feet feel a little numb.

It was the middle of August, how could it possibly be so cold?

I gasped as a small wave hit me, the water covering half of my calves for a seconds before retreating.

'I warned you.' James teased.

Perhaps it was the words, or perhaps it was the smug grin on his face. But something made me reach down, and splash water all over him.

He cried out and stepped back in shock.

I giggled as he brushed the drops of water from his face. Then, his expression turned predatory.

'You do not want to play that game Marion.' He warned me, as a sly smile graced his lips.

I, however, was too impertinent for my own good. Reaching down, I sent even more icy water his way.

Only this time, he was ready for it.

He stepped out of the path of the water, the edges of it just catching the end of his sleeve.

I barely had time to react as he bent over and shoved some of the incoming wave upwards, hitting me squarely in the face.

The cold alone was enough to send me rearing back. Salt water flew up my nose and mouth, making me splutter and cough. The drops of water that had landed on my dress began to seep through the fabric, causing me to shiver just a little.

James was the one laughing now, his head tipped back as the chuckles went right through him.

Leaning down, I only had one thought.

I may be in love with him, but I needed to get him back for that.

My hand uncurled and the hem of my dress dropped into the water. Then, with all my might, I flung more water at him, soaking him through.

James saw it coming and tried to move away again, pushing even more water back at me.

In the end, we were both squealing, covered in freezing cold water, and laughing.

We sat on one of the dune, away from the sea to try and dry off a little.

'I can see why your mother laughed.' I mused, wringing out my hair.

James looked longingly out to the sea.

'She would have liked you.' He said, still not looking towards me. 'I think... after her marriage, she would have liked to meet someone who did let herself be sidelined.'

I turned to him.

'What was her name?'

He sighed.

'Grace. Grace Elizabeth Thorne.'

I moved a little closer to him so I could lean on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my back.

'I think my mother would have liked you too. My Father did, when you were not off dancing with other ladies.'

James chuckled a little.

'What did he have to say about it?'

'He told me to forget you, as I was too feisty to let you get away with that sort of thing, so it wasn't going to work. But before, when you were talking to him, I think he actually quite liked you. He was just being protective, it's where Alexander gets it from.'

James tightened his grip on me.

'I'm sorry, for how I behaved then. I really should have known better than to tell you about Lady Kingston at a wedding. And I didn't know you saw me with Imogen. She's a little...difficult to deal with.'

He leaned his head on mine.

'I would have loved to see what my father would have made of you. He didn't approve of me making friends with Antony, as he wasn't my social superior. I can almost see him fainting when I introduced my outspoken, lowborn wife to him.'

I grinned.

'I don't think you could have added 'outspoken' when we were married.' I remarked.

'No, not really.'

A cool summer breeze drifted past us, which usually, I would have revelled in. However, in our wet clothes, it made both of us shiver. The cold seawater still stuck to our clothes, and James said that we should probably go and get changed.

He stood and offered me his hand to pull me up. But as I stood, his expression turned serious.

'I never asked, what was your mother's name?'

I took a deep breath, looking out to the beautiful sea, that she would have loved.

'Hannah. Her name was Hannah Brown.'

* * *

The next few days were...

Utterly perfect.

I'd never known a time where I could simply please myself. There was no siblings to look after, no laundry to do, no meals to cook.

It was just me and James. No responsibilities, just me and him.

We had explored most of the beach, the local village and surroundings. The sun shone brightly all the time.

We even attended a lowborn summer dance one evening. James had said there was little he liked more than lowborn celebrations. He and his friends from Ashburne had visited them every chance they got, sneaking out of the school. He knew the dances as well as I did, and we'd passed the evening in each other's arms.

On the fifth day of our trip, I awoke to find James already awake. This was a rare occurrence, I nearly always woke up early. It was a habit from my days of being a servant I'd never managed to shake.

But that day, I slept in. Mainly because we had been up quite late the night before.

James was staring at me, content to simply watch me sleeping. I couldn't blame him, I did the same to him often.

I smiled at him as he moved his hand over my cheek.

'You look so... peaceful, when you're asleep.' He remarked.

'Isn't that the point of sleep?' I mumbled, turning away from him as the light from the window was beginning to hurt my eyes.

I barely made it onto my side when James pulled my flat against his chest, his head resting in the crook between my neck and my shoulder. His hands roamed over my bare stomach.

'I know that.' He murmured. 'But I don't think I've ever seen you so... at ease. Even back at the Manor, your always running around after one of your siblings. You're happy, but never calm.'

'Are you saying that's a bad thing?' I asked. My voice was still rough from sleep.

'No, no not at all.' He said, pressing his lips to my skin. 'Just an observation.'

'And what got you up so early this morning?' I asked, leaning into his kiss slightly.

'Nothing in particular. Maybe just the thought that my wife was asleep beside me, and I was missing it.' He teased.

'And why would that wake you up?'

'Because maybe my reality is better than anything I could possibly dream.'

My heart faltered a beat at that. Those words, those lovely words; they had been spoken about me. Not a princess, not a great lady, not a maiden from a romance.

Me.

I turned towards him, my heart about to burst with love.

He didn't smile, he didn't laugh. He was deathly serious about it.

I didn't need to respond in words as I pushed myself up onto my elbows, and kissed him.

We left the house around mid morning, and I was disappointed to discover that our luck had run out with regards to the weather. Where all the other days had been filled with sunshine and cool breezes, that day was overcast. The sky looked ready at any moment to burst into rainfall. James suggested we stay inside, but I wanted to make the most of being by the sea. I could stay inside at the Manor; I wouldn't get much longer to walk by the sea, regardless of the weather. So, dragging James with me, we went to walk along the sand.

It was different than all the others times. I want sure if it was the weather above us, or the words he had spoken this morning, but there was a sort of calmness between us. No joking or teasing, we just enjoyed being in each other's company.

That was until, the first drop fell from the sky.

It splashed on my cheek, the sensation of it caused me to look up.

Then came another, and another, and another.

Faster and faster they fell, pattering on the sand, on my head, on James's.

He only smirked and said 'I told you so!'

I looked back the way we had come, trying to find the house. But we were quite a distance from the house, and the rain would probably be over by the time we made it there.

James clearly had another idea as he grasped my hand and ran, pulling me along with him.

'Where are we going?' I cried, as thunder cracked overhead and the rain changed from small droplets to large drops.

'Out of the rain!' He replied, making us run faster.

My cloak billowed behind me as we ran across the beach, into the unknown.

After what could only have been a few minutes, but had felt like hours, James finally turned left, towards the rocks, and ushered me around a corner.

There, nestled between two large rocks, was an opening.

The rain was relentless as it soaked through my clothes, chilling me. We both took a step forward and entered the cave, grateful that we were out of the rain.

'Out with it then.' I said, as I took off my cloak to shake out some of the water.

'Out with what?'

'The speech. 'Marion, we should have stayed at the house. You should have listened to me.' That speech.'

'I already said 'I told you so.'' He told me, smirking. 'But, since we're here, I have something to show you.'

My interest was piqued. I lay my cloak on a nearby rock to dry and get it to dry off.

James led me along the cave wall, where it was getting a little difficult to see. His hands drifted across the rock, as if he was feeling his way forward, rather than looking.

'It's around here...somewhere.' He noted, feeling up and down the surface.

I just patiently waited for whatever he was trying to find.

'Ah-ha!' He cried, as he moved his hands over a certain spot on the cave wall. A few moments later, he scoffed and chuckled a little.

'Of course you did.' He muttered, more to himself than to me.

'What?' I asked, unable to see what was underneath his hands.

'We did this the very first time we came down here. We were fifteen, over summer.' He said, stepping back. 'We found this place... and made it our own.'

There was just enough light reflecting off the stones for me to be able to work out what was on the rock.

Five letters, etched into the stone. None of them were particularly neat, but they were just clear enough to be recognisable as letters.

Four of them were etched one below the other, in a straight line downwards. The last was etched next to the first one.

 **C E**

 **A**

 **P**

 **J**

'We drew straws to see which order we went in.' James explained. 'I lost.'

It was their initials.

Christopher, Antony, Philip and James.

'So, who is E?' I asked.

'As it is next to Christopher, I can only presume it's for Ella.' James said, running a finger over it. 'It even looks neater than the rest of them.'

I smiled. Trust Ella to make something like carving an initial into a work of art.

'When were they here?' I asked.

'Just after they were married. I presumed Ella had told you.'

Now I thought back, I vaguely remembered something that Ella had said about Christopher taking her to the sea. This must have been the place.

'Of course Christopher put her next to him.' James mumbled.

Biting my lip, I summoned a little more courage.

'So, where's my space?' I said.

James looked a little confused and shocked.

'What?'

'My space. If Ella is allowed on the cave wall as Christopher's wife, I demand to be carved onto the wall too!' I cried.

James just looked a little hesitant.

'Please?' I asked.

'I'd love to. But I don't have the chisel. It's back at the house.' He said, stepping towards me, like he would fold me into his arms.

I stepped back.

'No, I want to be on the wall first.'

James just rolled his eyes.

'You will be. But not right now.'

'And I want my letter to be bigger than Ella's.' I teased.

'Why?'

'Because I just spent a week cleaning up after her son whilst remaining silent. I deserve to have a larger letter.'

James laughed a little.

'When I get te chisel, I will make sure the M is larger than the E.' He conceded.

I looked again at the line of letters.

'Why did you write them like that?' I asked. 'Why not next to each other?'

James chuckled.

'We couldn't make a word out of C, J, A And P. We tried, for hours. So we just wrote it like that.'

'Well, it's convenient.' I pointed out. 'There's space next to each letter for other people.'

'I suppose there is. We didn't plan it that way. We were just fifteen and thought we'd leave our mark on the place.'

I traced the space next to the J, my fingers brushing over the smooth stone.

'You should make a tradition of it.' I mused. 'When your family grows, you each mark a letter.'

James took my other hand in his.

'Perhaps we should. But I think we might run out of space.'

'How?'

'Well, Christopher and Ella are already expecting their second child. And from what I gather about Ella, she wants a rather large family. I don't think there's enough space to fit their future family.'

'Hmm, maybe just wives then.' I murmured. James rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.

'Well...' he whispered in my ear. 'Maybe it should be just us who makes a tradition of it.'

I turned to him curiously.

'What do you mean?'

'I just won't tell the others. Every time our family grows, we'll carve a letter.'

My cheeks heated at that.

'One day. One day in the future, there may be other letters besides the J and M.' He breathed.

Something in me must have reacted because I felt James's gently rub the tops of my arms.

'Not right now, but one day.' He explained.

'Let's just start with a M first.' I told him, making it clear I didn't want to discuss that.

He nodded.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and the incessant rain seemed to only grow more intense.

I turned to look at the mouth of the cave, just watching the rain pour down. Moving away from the wall towards the light, James ran his hand through his hair.

'I'm guessing we're not leaving for a long time.' He said, glancing up at the almost black sky.

A loud bolt of lightning exploded across the sky in the horizon, almost in response to his words.

'So, we're trapped in here?' I asked, moving away from the wall to stand next to him.

'Unless you want to try and run back to the house, yes.' He told me.

'Well then.' I sighed, picking up my cloak and turning it over before laying it on the floor and sitting down, 'We wait.'

James grinned and asked if he could join me on the cloak. I agreed.

We both just sat there for a few minutes, watching the rain fall from the overcast sky. Another lightning bolt cracked somewhere behind us and the thunder rumbled, echoing around the cave.

Slowly, so slowly, James's arm moved behind me. I didn't even notice until his fingers skimmed the other side of my waist. I turned my head to look at what had touched me, and James took his chance. Pressing his lips to my exposed neck, he caused me to gasp in surprise.

'What are you doing?' I asked, a little breathlessly.

'Making the most of our situation.' He replied. 'Trapped in a cave for a considerable time, alone with my very beautiful wife.'

He lifted his head so he could meet my gaze.

'Unless you just want to watch the rain?' He asked.

I grinned and twisted around a little.

'I think I've seen all I want to of the rain.' I told him.

His lips pressed harder onto my skin at that, making me sigh. Then, he laid me down on the cloak and took me in his arms.

And one thing led to another…

We stayed in that cave for a good long while, even after the rain stopped.

It was one of the best days of my life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen.**

The week me and James spent by the sea was utterly perfect in every way.

But, all good things must come to an end, and so did that week.

After that day in the cave, we returned the following morning, with a chisel in hand. I sat on the rock as I watched James carve an M on the space next to his J. As if our wedding vows weren't binding enough, we were now literally written in stone. When he finished, he stepped back and let me admire it.

Although there was a smile on my face, there was some small part of me that felt a little strange while staring at the J and M.

Something felt…odd. Not right.

Or it did feel right, but the context was wrong.

As I stared at the two letters, I couldn't help but feel like I seen it before, or heard it somewhere.

J and M.

J and Marion.

But the J in my recollection did not seem like James, rather some other word I couldn't remember.

I didn't let James see my doubts, and kept the smile firmly on my face. And as promised, the M was larger than the E.

James was rewarded for his hard work with a kiss, and as we walked out of the cave, I couldn't help but glance back at the spot the cloak had laid on the day before, and blush a little at the memory. It really was a good thing that the rain was so heavy and no one else came across the cave that day. James clearly remembered too, and asked me quietly if I'd like to repeat the experience. I shook my head as the sounds of other people walking along the sand echoed around the cave. He simply shrugged and held out his arm to escort me back to the house.

We had to pack up all of our things that night, as Bessie refused to. I didn't mind in the slightest. For all of her commanding tone and sharp tongue, she wasn't very mobile and needed to rest every couple of minutes or so. But as a fellow servant, I knew exactly how demanding the duties were. I struggled at times at Ella's manor, and I was young and strong. I couldn't imagine having to perform them when I was older and frail. Bessie made a valiant effort, regardless.

And as all things must, the week by the sea came to an end. We loaded up the carriage the next morning, and began our long drive back to the manor, where all my siblings were waiting.

It was time to go back to normality. Back to cleaning and cooking for eight other people.

It wasn't horrible, not as bad as some situations I had been in. And there was always plenty of food to eat; no more starvation for any members of my family. But it wasn't as nice as being by the sea.

And also, no more curses.

Never again was I going to allow myself to be subjected to anything like that. At the first sign of faeries or trouble, I was simply going to walk away. I had done my suffering, and I was in no mood to ever repeat it again.

'Are you excited to see the manor again?' I asked James when we were both sat in the carriage.

'No, not really.' He replied honestly. 'I mean, your family are wonderful, but I rather enjoyed our time alone.'

'Me too.' I almost whispered.

I had really enjoyed our time away from my siblings. Not that I would ever admit it to them. I had loved the break from responsibility, and being in charge. I had liked just pleasing myself and James, not having to think about chores or cooking.

And I had also rather enjoyed the fact that I could kiss my husband anywhere around the house I chose, and no one was there to complain or stop me. Sometimes, we even went a little further than kissing.

But, we were on our way home, and our time at the house on the beach was at an end.

James spent the entire carriage ride teasing me. I was not sure whether or not he liked annoying me, or he was genuinely trying to make me laugh. I just wanted to sleep.

James had been rather…attentive in his marital duties, and as such, neither of us had gotten much sleep in the week we had been at the house. So, now we were on our way back, I found I couldn't keep my eyes open very long, and succumbed to the blissful darkness of rest.

I only awoke when James shook me awake as we rounded the final corner of the road to gaze upon Thorne Manor. The sight of it still made me pinch myself to check I was still not dreaming.

That house, that enormous building, was mine! I was a Lady! This was going to be the rest of my life.

'We're home!' James whispered, kissing the top of my head as the carriage turned into the drive.

I yawned and pulled myself out of my sleepy daze.

The carriage pulled to a stop and I glanced out of the window to see my seven brothers and sisters waiting outside the house, waving at me.

'Marion!' Cried Gwen, as she ran towards me, just as James opened the door. She half climbed inside the carriage and flung her arms around me.

'Hello you!' I told her, embracing my baby sister.

James coughed from the bench across from me and Gwen realised she was stopping us from getting out of the carriage. She hastily backed out and let us pass, but not before she had opened her mouth and began to ask us everything about the seaside.

'What was it like? Was it as big as father used to say? And blue like the sky? Did you see fish? Or a whale?'

'Hush! We'll tell you everything later!' I told her, finally getting her to be quiet.

'And if you're good, you might even get presents.' James teased her.

I glared at him, as that only set her off again. And this time, Robbie and Tom join in the excited chatter. James just smiled his usual smug smile, and proceeded to greet Alexander and Daniel, and assist the carriage driver in unloading the trunk.

'What presents?'

'Are they for all of us?'

'Can we open them now?'

'Later!' I shouted, rubbing the top of Robbie's head affectionately.

I managed to work my way through the sea of my siblings to get to the door, where Clara hugged me tightly.

'You'll have to tell me everything after dinner.' She insisted. 'I want all the romantic details.'

I shook my head. There was no way on earth I was going tell her all those details. I may tell her about the romantic walks on the beach as the sunset, the candlelit dinners, the dancing at the celebration. But she was not going to know everything. She was only sixteen.

Clara pulled me along to the dining room, where dinner was already on the table. I remarked how it was a miracle that no one had already tried to eat it. Clara told me she had caught Daniel trying to sneak a mouthful of bread earlier.

'I was hungry. I wasn't aware this was a prison.' He said in his defence.

We all crowded around the table, and I finally got round to greeting Alexander and Richard. Richard seemed to have been very happy all week, helping Alexander understand the numbers in the books that James had left him to get him started on learning about the estate.

Alexander on the other hand, had been trying his best to understand what he could, but without James there to talk him through what each entry meant, he got a little lost. It wasn't surprising. Alexander had gone to work in the fields at the age of fourteen. He knew as much about numbers as I did, and that wasn't a lot. Richard was the only one of us who truly had a talent for mathematics.

We all sat down around the table, and it took all of three seconds before they all started to ask about the sea.

I sighed and began to tell them.

I told them all about the beautiful horizon, the endless blue sea, the soft sand that moved under your feet as you walked.

The younger ones in particular listened with fascination. To them, it must have sounded like a mystical place only real in dreams. The older ones remarked on how jealous they were that I had gotten to see the sea, and they hadn't. James made a comment at the end of my tale about how he would take them all at some point in the future, but they might need to find a bigger house than Christopher's.

We ate as we discussed the seaside. And at the end of the meal, James disappeared upstairs to retrieve a several small packages from the trunk. I smiled as he returned, striding back through the door and presented a small package to each of them. They all gasped in surprise, the little ones jumping out of their seats in anticipation.

It wasn't much. Just a few lovely shells from the beach. They all compared theirs with each other's, remarking on their colours and shapes, and how fragile the shells were. Gwen and Clara in particular, found their shells rather fascinating.

'Oh, they're beautiful!' Clara cried, running her fingers over the smooth surface. 'Thank you!'

'You can pick some up yourself when you go to the seaside.' James told her.

We spent the next few hours catching up on everything that had happened while we were away. Clara and Daniel had nearly gone to their wits end after Gwen and Robbie decided to go running through muddy puddles one day. Richard and Alexander had locked themselves away most of the time, pouring over books, and Tom had been the best behaved one, mainly just entertaining himself, and actually doing what Daniel asked of him.

It wasn't long until we were all yawning, and ready to go to bed. So, we called it an early night, and all went to our rooms.

I followed James to his room, no longer caring who saw me. It didn't matter anymore, everything was out in the open. I giggled a little as he dragged me through the door, his lips finding mine as soon as we were out of sight.

It took a little while to unpack everything, but once we had, we were both so exhausted from travelling all day that we both almost fell into the bed and drifted off.

We were both sharply awoken the next morning by a loud banging on the door.

'What the hell?' James mumbled, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

The banging continued, the fist of whoever was on the other side must have almost been bruising.

'Marion!' Came a female voice, that sounded in pain.

Instantly, I leapt out of bed and pulled a robe around me. James was still trying to pull himself around from the daze of sleep.

I hurried to the door and yanked it open, revealing Clara, bent over double at her waist.

'What is it?' I asked, reaching for her.

'Where do you keep the rags and herbs?' She asked through gritted teeth.

'What?'

'My courses are here. And they hurt like hell.' She moaned, bending over once more.

'Oh.' I said, trying to pull her up. James moved to the door, and looked like he was going to offer to help when I gestured for him to simply leave us. It was a woman's issue, and while I didn't think James would mind, I thought Clara might be embarrassed.

I half carried her back to her room, and told her to wait while I went to retrieve the small wooden box I kept in the washroom. I ran back up to her room and passed her some clean rags. She thanked me, and I left to let her sort herself out while I brewed her some herbal tea. It didn't dull the pain entirely, but it took the edge off.

Balancing the cup carefully, I brought it back upstairs to her and sat on the end of the bed while she drank it. Once it was gone, she set the cup down and turned to me.

'I think my body didn't like the magic.' She admitted.

'How so?' I asked.

'My courses stopped, while I was a swan. Those three months, I didn't bleed. So now, I think the last three months have caught up with me and-'

She inhaled deeply and curled forward a little.

'And now, I don't think this is going to be pleasant.' She said.

'I'm sorry. Is there anything else we can do? Stronger tea? Send for a physician?' I said, trying to think of any way to save my younger sister from a few days of suffering.

'Maybe wait until the tea has had chance to work yet.' Clara said.

I sighed and nodded. Standing from the end of the bed, I kissed her forehead.

'I'll be back up in a few hours. Do you want anything to pass the time? A book maybe?'

She seemed to consider it before shaking her head.

'I think I'll just sleep.' She said, laying back on the pillows.

I nodded again, and bid her goodbye. I also took the box of rags with me to place back in the washroom.

Closing the door behind me, I glanced down at the familiar old box in my hand.

It looked exactly the same as it always had, except this time, there was a faint layer of dust coating the top of the box.

It was only faint, but it was there.

Dust, from disuse.

I ran my finger over it, and sure enough, it left a pattern in the dust.

The more I stared at it, the more I thought.

When was the last time I had bled? How long had it been?

Counting the days back in my head, I counted back to when Ella had visited with Jonathan.

Five and a half weeks ago.

I had not bled in almost six weeks.

I should have bled by now. Why hadn't I bled?

If my counting was correct, then I should have started the first day we went to the seaside.

I was late. I had never been late before. It had always been exactly four weeks, give or take a few days.

My courses had not come.

Something like dread settled in my heart.

Why hadn't I bled?

Why hadn't…

Although I didn't want to admit it, I found I already knew the answer.

There was usually only one reason why women didn't bleed, unless something else was troubling them, like starvation or poor health. And I was almost certain I was in good health.

Which left one alternative.

One reason I didn't want to have to face.

Could I…

Was it possible, I was with child?

I might be pregnant.

I almost dropped the box in my hand.

Running downstairs to the empty kitchen I took several deep breath and let myself fall into a nearby chair.

I could be with child!

James's child.

A baby!

I knew I should be rational about it; I had only missed one round of bleeding. And nothing could be certain until the third month was missed.

And I might not have even missed it, it might just be late this month.

I had to calm down, I had to stop the thousands of thoughts flying through my head.

What if I was with child?

I couldn't be a mother! I wasn't ready, wasn't prepared. I was only twenty years old, I'd only been married for three months.

My heart started beating so fast I thought it was going to give out.

A baby.

My Baby.

James's baby.

We could be parents! We'd barely had time to get to know each other, and already this had happened?

No, it hadn't happened. I only suspected that it had happened. I couldn't let my imagination run away with me.

I was only nine or ten days late. I couldn't just assume that I was actually with child.

But the very thought of it….

I hadn't given it much consideration. I hadn't even thought about the possibilities that our actions might lead to…this. We hadn't exactly done anything to prevent it though.

I knew that it was unlikely, and it was probably just late, but I couldn't stop my mind from wandering.

Could I do this? Could I be a mother?

I wasn't so sure I could be.

I had rescued Ella, and moved to Milton by myself, and had my family cursed and my parents die. I had broken that curse by remaining silent, and yet this was something I didn't think I'd ever be up to the challenge of. I'd never be ready for motherhood.

A mother! If I was pregnant, I could be a mother very soon.

Panic settled in me.

A baby!

What was I going to do?

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. My chest tightened and my hands shook.

 _What was I going to do?_

'Marion? Is everything alright?' Came a voice from the hallway above, followed for footsteps.

I took a deep breath, and then forced myself to stand up. Even though my heart was still hammering, I made myself look calm.

James appeared at the door to the kitchen, leaning on frame, his arms crossed in front of him.

'Yes, I'm fine.'

James looked a little confused, and then said. 'I meant with Clara. But it's good to know you're fine too.'

I silently cursed myself in my head. Of course he was asking about Clara.

I flustered a bit, and replied.

'Yes, she'll be fine. She just need a lot of herbal tea for the next few days.'

Turning away from him, I bent down to take a pot out of the cupboard, and began to make breakfast.

James remained silent for a few moments, before pushing himself off the door frame and walking over to me, stilling my actions by placing his hand over mine.

'Are you alright?'

'Yes, I'm fine.' I repeated, pulling my hand away from his, trying to ignore roaring of my heart.

'Marion?'

'I'm fine.' I told him firmly.

'What is-'

'I'm fine!' I cried.

He stepped back, stunned.

'Something's the matter.' He said calmly.

'Nothing.' I insisted, continuing to make breakfast.

'Marion please.' James pleaded.

'I'm fine. And busy.' I said. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want James to know, not yet. I wanted to be completely sure.

He'd done enough for me; I didn't need to share this dread with him.

'What's wrong? Please just tell me.' He begged.

I simply continued to work. I needed something to distract me. If I was left with time to think, I'd start panicking again.

'My love, please.' He asked.

'I'm busy. Either help of leave me be.' I said, a little harshly.

I needed time. I needed to think through what I could do.

He looked hurt, his eyes still pleading with me to tell him what was wrong.

'Fine. I'll leave you to it. I'll be in my study.' He conceded, but he clearly not happy about it.

I just nodded, and continued to make breakfast.

Gently, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head.

'I love you. I just want to help.' He whispered.

And then he was gone, walking out of the room without looking back.

I almost collapsed onto the stool.

What was I doing? I didn't want to hurt him. I never wanted to hurt him.

But I needed to think. I needed to stop panicking.

Glancing down, I stared at my stomach, and placed my hand gently on it.

There could really be a baby growing there right now.

My child. Our child.

And I wasn't sure I was ready for it. If I was ever going to be ready for it.

I knew that logically, I'd have to be ready for it one day.

James was a highborn, and I was his wife. At some point in the future, he would need to have an heir, someone to pass his estate to after his death. And as his wife, it was my duty to provide him with one. It was something I couldn't really avoid.

But not right now.

We'd only just married, and I still felt far too young to be a mother. Even though I knew Ella had become a mother when she was younger than I was now, but that did nothing to soothe me. Ella was kind and considerate and was suited to motherhood.

I was not.

I was too obstinate, too stubborn.

And another thing, I'd have to give birth. I hadn't been in the room when Ella had, but I had heard her screams of pain.

I'd never been more terrified in my life. Not only would I have to endure that shortly, but I'd have to raise the child.

I couldn't do this.

I just couldn't.

Just then, more footsteps sounded on the stairs, and my brother Daniel appeared at the door.

'Oh, Morning Arry. You're up early.'

I plastered a smile on my face and nodded.

'Yes, Clara woke me up. She's not feeling very well.' I told him.

He looked curiously at me.

'Do you feel alright? You look a little pale.' He asked.

'I..uh…'

'Maybe you should get some fresh air. You look like you've seen a ghost.'

I nodded, and stood from the stool.

'What about breakfast?'

'I'll sort that. Don't worry.' He said.

I took a deep breath and thanked him, before grabbing a shawl and walking outside into the early morning sun.

I wasn't going anywhere in particular, just wandering around the gardens.

What was I going to do?

I thought about the question for what seemed like hours. I walked through the gardens several times, in and out of the forest, always keeping within sight of the manor. At one point, I heard the shouts and screams of my little brothers and sister playing outside, and I made sure to keep far away from them. I was in no mood to play with them today.

I eventually found myself sat in the woods by the lake that Clara used to swim on when she was cursed. The same place I had been sat when the curse had been broken.

I still had no idea how that happened. My year had been far from over, and yet somehow it had been broken.

The only explanation I could think of was that the faerie was dead. But I was probably never going to know for certain.

How much had changed since that day. That day James and I had finally consummated our marriage. And look what had become of it.

Panic still consumed me.

I couldn't do this. I couldn't be a mother; I wouldn't know where to start. What if I did something wrong? What if I made mistakes? What if I hurt it?

But at the same time, a beautiful image came into my head.

I could see James beaming as he held a small bundle in his arms. He'd have tears in his eyes as their tiny hand wrapped around one of his fingers.

I could see him teaching his son to walk, encouraging him to take his first steps.

I could see him dancing around with his daughter, balancing her on his feet as they waltzed around the drawing room.

I could see them, playing in the nursery, teaching them to read, taking them to the sea to play with the waves, just as his mother had taken him.

It was so real, the images almost appeared before me.

He would be a great father. He would be a natural.

But me…

I would not be a great mother. I would get something wrong.

I took in a shuddering breath, and snapped out of my fantasy.

Placing my hand on my cheek, I found them wet with tears. I hadn't even realised I was crying.

I was so scared, and overwhelmed. But that image of James and his child haunted me, it was beautiful.

And I still didn't know what I was going to do.

Wiping away some of the tears on my shawl, I glance down and realised I was still wearing my nightgown. I'd been so busy trying to sort through my thoughts that I hadn't even thought to get dressed.

Taking a steadying breath, I pushed myself off the forest ground and began to make my way back to the house. I needed to change, and there was one place I knew I'd have to go to find out how I truly felt about all of this.

I tried to walk calmly back, but ended up running part of the way as I felt more tears begin to run down my cheeks.

No one was in the main entrance way, and I was very thankful. I sprinted upstairs and locked the door to my bedroom behind me. I changed out of my nightgown, and placed it in the pile of clothes to be cleaned as it had mud all over it. Pulling on the first dress I could find, I attempted to pull the laces up myself, but managed to get them knotted.

In my frustration, I simply gave up. I was in no mood to fight with them.

Then, I walked out of my bedroom and toward the one room in the house I hardly ever went.

Along the corridor, I tried to keep my steps slow and steady. The door lay directly across from me, ominous and closed. I walked toward it, and took one final deep breath before reaching for the handle and pulling it open, revealing the bright light that was streaming though the window's behind it.

The nursery.

The place that James had spent his childhood.

Where my child would spend their childhood.

The white walls shone in the sunlight, illuminating the room. Quickly, I stepped through the door and closed it behind me. I didn't want anyone knowing I was in there. It would raise too many questions.

Small toys lined one wall. Cloth animals in all shapes and sizes. There were also children's books stacked on the same wall. I didn't even know such a thing existed. We'd only ever owned six books in our cottage in Rault, and none of them had been for children. We'd learnt to read with the folk tales of Exodia, which was about as childlike a book as we could get.

But James…

There were all sorts of stories on these pages. Ones about knights and dragons. Ones about animals, even one or two about princesses. But those books looked rather old, as if they had been passed down from generations ago.

Once again, an image flashed before my eyes. James sat on this very floor, his arms wrapped around a small toddler, sounding out the words as he read the story to the child. They hung on his every word, entranced by the tale.

My throat tightened again, and I slid down the wall behind me, almost collapsing onto the floor.

What was I going to do?

The corners of my eyes began to fill with tears again.

James would be an amazing father.

He simply would be.

But, in all these flashes I kept seeing, none of them ever seemed to include me.

My heart hammered as I had to face the truth.

I would not be a good mother.

I would make mistakes, and get things wrong. And I would ruin our child somehow, I just knew it.

And James would hate me for it.

My hand subconsciously found its way back to my stomach.

Oh god.

If it had already happened, there was nothing I could do. But that didn't stop the fear rising in me.

I couldn't have a baby. I wasn't ready. I would be a horrible mother. I wouldn't be able to endure the pain.

And what if something went wrong? James's own mother had died in childbirth. And there were plenty of other women who had gone to similar fates.

I couldn't breathe.

My hands shook and my blood ran cold.

Oh god.

I felt sick. Sick with terror and fear.

Taking several deep breaths, I attempted to calm myself.

But it didn't work.

It only sent me deeper into the blinding panic that had consumed me.

I couldn't do this.

I really couldn't.

And then the tears started.

They streamed down my face as I tried to breathe while great gasping sobs wracked my chest.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know who to turn to. I couldn't tell James, not yet anyway. He didn't need anything else to worry about.

I covered my mouth with a shaking hand in a vain attempt to muffle the sounds.

A child.

What do I do?

The sound of footsteps echoed in the entrance hall outside, and I was plunged even further into my panic. But then, they turned left at the top of the staircase, meaning they weren't going to the nursery, and I felt myself release a sigh of relief at it.

And then the sobs started again.

What about my family? Gwen was only eight years old. She couldn't be an Aunt yet.

This was all happening too fast. It was too sudden. And I was not prepared.

The sobs returned even louder now, and I was completely unable to stop them.

Through my tears, I thought I heard footsteps again. Not in the entrance hall, but somewhere off to my right. But I ignored them.

Still trying to get air into my lungs, I gasped, and pushed away stray tears. The sleeve of my dress was completely ruined, and the lacings on my back were still a complete mess.

Suddenly, a door to my right swung open.

I was startled and jumped at the noise, my head instantly looking towards the source of it.

And there, in the doorway, stood James.

I had completely forgotten that his room connected directly with this one.

'Marion?' He asked, confused, taking a step inside.

I had no words. I didn't even know where to begin.

'What on earth are you doing in here?' He asked, though his tone wasn't accusatory.

At those words, I felt a sob rise in my chest, and I was powerless to stop it. I looked down to the ground, to my own crossed legs, and let the tears continue to fall.

I vaguely heard the door being closed, and James making his way over to me.

He crouched down in front of me, his hands gently lifting my face.

'Please Marion. Please tell me what's wrong.' He begged, leaning forwards and pressing a soft kiss to my temple.

My shoulders convulsed as I cried, but he just waited patiently, stroking his thumbs across my cheek.

'Please. I hate to see you this upset.'

I took a large shuddering breath. My chest just felt empty, as if there was nothing left for me to cry out.

His thumbs brushed away my tears, and I finally lifted my gaze to meet his lovely green eyes. They looked at me with such concern it almost broke my heart.

'Please. What is it? And don't say you're fine, because you're not.' He told me.

One more shuddering breath.

I had to tell him. There was no way I could think of another plausible excuse.

He needed the truth.

'I'm late.' I muttered under my breath.

'I didn't catch that.' James said, leaning in a little closer so he could hear better.

'I'm late.' I muttered again.

'Late for what? Was there something on today?' James asked.

I shook my head, my heart beating so fast I thought it was going to explode.

'No, I'm late.' I told him again.

'I still don't understand.' He said.

'My courses are late. They haven't come.' I told him bluntly.

At that, he paled. And froze.

I simply closed my eyes, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

'So… you…y…are…' James stuttered.

'I don't know.' I said. 'I might not be.'

James gulped.

'Just to be clear.' He started. 'You are talking about… a child?'

I nodded slowly.

'You're with child?' He asked.

'No.' I told him. 'I don't know. Nothing can be certain until I've missed three, or a physician confirms it. But I've never been late before.'

'How late are you?'

'Nine or ten days.'

James inhaled deeply.

'So, why are you so upset?' He asked.

I just stared at him incredulously.

He studied my face, and then pulled back a little, looking hurt.

'Do…Do you not want…Do you not want children?' He asked slowly.

'Of course I do. One day.' I told him.

'So why the tears.'

'Because I'm terrified!' I cried. More tears began to collect in my eyes.

James looked like he was going to say something else, but I stopped him.

'James, I'm twenty years old. We've only been married three months! I've only just escaped a curse. I'm not ready to have a baby!'

At that admission, the tears began to fall again. It was as if in that moment, it all became real. That it might actually happen.

James didn't respond, but only pulled me into his arms and held me as I cried. His hands rubbed up and down the tops of my arms, and he pressed kisses to my hair.

'And I will be a horrid mother.' I managed to utter between the sobs.

James instantly pulled back, his eyes flaring wide.

'What utter rubbish.' He almost shouted.

In my confusion, the tears stopped.

'Where on earth did you get an idea like that?' He asked, looking somewhere between confused and angry.

'From me. I just know I will be.' I admitted.

'No, you won't.' James said firmly. 'Now, I must insist you stop this nonsense at once.'

'It's not nonsense.'

'Oh, yes it is!' He cried. 'Marion, if there's anyone who is more suited to being a mother than you, I will be very much surprised.'

At that, I pulled back from him.

'What?'

He simply smiled a little at me.

'How have you missed it? You are one of the most caring people I know, and the fiercest. Your mother passed several years ago, and you've almost been a mother to your family, especially the little ones. If we have to worry about either of us being horrid parents, I'm afraid it's going to have to be me we worry about.'

I shook my head.

'We don't have to worry about you.' I told him.

James scoffed a little.

'That's a conversation for another time.' He said, pulling me back into his arms. I shifted so my head was resting on his shoulder.

'Is this what's been troubling you all day? Why you were upset this morning?' He asked. I just nodded.

'Have you known for a while?'

'No, only this morning. Clara's courses started, and it made me count the days in my head.'

James let out a long breath.

'Do you…' I began, but the words stuck in my throat.

'Do you want a baby? With me?' I asked quietly.

James's arms instinctively tightened around me.

'Of course I do. I just didn't expect it to be right now.' He muttered. 'Every time I see you with Jonathan, I can see you with our baby one day.'

The thought of it made my heart tighten.

'But I only want it, if you want it.' He continued. 'I don't want to you to have one because you feel obliged to, or because you think I need an heir. I want you to love it as much as I will.'

He pressed another kiss to my hair.

'But, if it's already happened…' He said, glancing down to my stomach.

He seemed lost for words for a few moments.

I just stared at him, in some vain attempt to gauge his reaction.

I didn't have any clue as to whether he would be thrilled or angry. My heart seemed to pound with fear as the silence drew on longer and longer.

Then, ever so slowly, James lifted his hand. His eyes never left my stomach as he gently placed his hand over my belly. It was so light, if I hadn't been looking, I don't know if I would have felt it.

'Oh Marion.' He whispered, his finger softly stroking over my dress.

I still waited, still not sure what he was thinking.

Finally, he looked up, and I saw the corner of his mouth twist up in a smile.

'Our baby!' He murmured happily.

'It might not be.' I reminded him, simply relieved that he wasn't angry.

'I know. I do know that.' He said, but the smile still had not left his face.

I gulped.

'So, you're not angry?'

James scoffed.

'Why on earth would I be angry with you? What have you possibly done that I could be angry about?'

I took a deep breath.

'For forcing a child on you if you don't want one.'

James lifted his hand so he was cupping my cheek.

'In what way are you forcing a child onto me? If anything, it's the other way around. You should be angry with me!'

I shook my head. Of course I wasn't angry with him.

'So, what do we do now?' I asked, biting my lip. I had no idea what was the next step.

James sighed.

'Well, I presume we wait. To see if it's actually what we think it is. And if it's not, then we move on. But if it is….'

His arms tightened around me.

'Then I spend every single moment of the next few months making sure you have everything you need while our baby grows.' He told me, beaming.

'Even if I have strange cravings in the middle of the night?' I asked, blinking away the last of my tears. My mother had been with child enough times that I knew what pregnancy could do to a woman, how it made her behave.

James nodded.

'Especially then. You would be giving me the greatest gift of my life, and running to the kitchen in the middle of the night to cook would be a small price to pay.' He said.

I almost laughed.

'I mean it!' He beamed. 'Send me out into the darkness of night because you want a certain type of grass!'

'I'm a woman James, not a cow.'

'I know that, I'm just trying to make a point.'

He smiled softly at me.

'And then,' He said quietly, 'We wait for a little one with brown hair and grey eyes to arrive.'

'Why grey eyes?' I asked.

'Because your eyes are grey.'

'But yours are green. Why couldn't they be green? Green eyes are nicer than grey.'

'I disagree.' James protested. 'And also, seeing as though every single member of your family has grey eyes, I'm guessing that there is a reason behind that. The chances of them being grey are higher. I also want them to look like you more than me.' He said.

At that, I was stunned.

'Why?'

'Because you're beautiful. I'm passable at best.'

'No you're not. You are better looking than 'passable'' I reassured him. He only shrugged.

'I still think they should look like you.' He said, looking back down to my belly. He exhaled and beamed.

'Our baby!' He said, excitedly. Even I began to smile a little.

I simply leaned my head on his shoulder, and looked down as well.

There might be a little Thorne growing inside me, right at that moment. And I wasn't prepared or ready, but at the same time, I knew James was. And I trusted him enough to know he would never let anything bad happen.

So, maybe, just maybe, it would all turn out alright.

Not perfect, but alright.

It would all be fine.

All would be good.

* * *

The next morning, I was shaken awake.

At first, I thought I was dreaming. But as my mind began to wake up, I could feel something pulling at my shoulder.

'Marion.' Came a soft voice.

'Mmm' I groaned in the dark.

'Marion, wake up.'

'Urgh!' I grumbled, slowly opening my eyes to see the beginning of the day through the gaps in the curtains. It must have only been dawn, everything was still fairly dark.

'Marion, please.' Came the voice again.

I blinked and began to turn over, when I collided with another body.

James was lying behind me, his eyes full of concern.

'What?'

'I think…I don't….'

'What?' I asked again, getting a little impatient.

'I think you're bleeding.' He whispered softly.

At that, I woke up properly.

Sitting up in bed, I pulled up the sheets so I could look down.

And there, sure enough, was a red stain on my nightgown. And on the bed clothes.

I was bleeding. My courses had come.

I wasn't with child.

There was going to be no baby.

Not yet.

I let out a sigh of relief. It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

Despite the conversation James and I had earlier on in the day, I still knew I was not ready to be a mother. If I had been with child, I would have forced myself to come to terms with the fact we were going to be parents, but now, I didn't have to.

Not for a while anyway.

'Are you alright?' James asked me.

'Yes. It's just my courses.' I explained. At that, he too let out a sigh of relief.

'Thank goodness for that. I thought you were bleeding out!' He said.

'Why would you think that?'

'Because I'm tired, and I'm not thinking straight.' He explained, pushing back the sheets on his side of the bed. 'Do you want me to get your box?'

I smiled a little and nodded. He was really very sweet when it came to taking care of me like this.

But then, a thought filled my head, and my mood came crashing down.

'I'm sorry.' I told him.

He turned back around to face me, confusion written on his features.

'What for?'

'For…not being with child. I know you were excited.' I said, looking down to the stained bed sheets.

'Marion!' He sighed, crawling back across the bed to wrap his arm around my shoulder.

'Why on earth are you sorry? You have no reason to be!'

'But…'

'But what?'

'You were happy when I told you. And now, it's not going to happen.' I explained.

He just sighed again, and pulled me in closer.

'Yes, I was excited. But you clearly weren't.' He whispered. 'And that is perfectly alright. You are only twenty years old. If I'd gotten that news when I was twenty, I dread to think what would have happened. And you've been through enough. You deserve to enjoy yourself for a while, and not have to worry about things like that.'

He pressed a kiss to my temple.

'So yes, one day, if you decide you are ready to have children, and still want to have them with me, even if they might get my horrid nose, then I will be delighted. But you are under no obligation to have them. It's your choice. I would be honoured beyond all reason to share that with you, one day.'

'But, what about having an heir, or the obligations-'

'Marion, I don't care. You are not obliged to do anything, and certainly not on my account.' He said roughly. 'Whenever you're ready for them. Until then, we may have to be slightly more careful with the way we do things, just to be safe. But it should be your choice Marion. You shouldn't have them because you feel you have to.'

I just nodded.

'I want them. One day. Not right now, but one day. I want to do things myself first. I want to live without a curse, or fear of starvation. I want to be ready for them.'

I felt James's cheeks move as he smiled.

'Anyway, I'll go and get that box.' He said, moving away from me. But I grabbed his hand, and pulled him back towards me.

'I love you.' I whispered. 'Thank you for understanding.'

He leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to my lips.

'I love you too.' He replied, and then pulled back and walked out of the door to go and retrieve my box.

I fell back onto the pillows a little.

The horrid feeling of dread I'd had for the last day had finally disappeared. There would be no child yet, but that was fine. James understood, and that all the validation I needed.

James loved me, whether we had children or not. There was no rush, no obligation.

Everything would turn out alright.

One day.

One day, maybe there would be little James's and Marion's running around the manor. But the thought no longer terrified me.

In fact, it was something I rather looked forward to.

One day.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen.**

The clouds had decided to gather in the heavens that day, cooling the air and hiding the sun from view.

Once I had cleaned myself up and stripped the bed, I made my way downstairs to brew some tea for myself and Clara, and get started on breakfast.

Although I still had an ache, it wasn't so bad that I couldn't so other things, which was good as I hated being idle.

James had even helped carry the bed clothes down to the kitchen for me, although I had to instruct him as to which bucket they should be placed in, and how hot the water should be to let them soak. He did it all without complaint, even insisting that I sit down when a particularly bad cramp hit me.

As I observed him from my chair, it almost hit me like a blow how much I really loved him.

I was madly in love with James.

We'd only been married just over three months, and he only appeared back in my life a month before that. But in that short space of time, I had fallen completely and utterly under his spell. My heart felt like it was ready to burst with how well everything had turned out.

James simply continued to work with his back to me. He grabbed the pot, and began to make breakfast, as he had seen me do many times. I just sat and drank my tea, the pain receding with every passing second.

After our conversation that morning, I couldn't help but think about a time when I wouldn't have to go through monthly courses. Maybe one day, when there would actually be a child growing within me. James's child.

James wanted to have children with me. He was ready, even if I was not. But that was alright. There was no rush. We had the rest of our lives together to decide when we wanted it. Together.

'Argh.' James hissed, and I was snapped out of my thoughts. He pulled his hand away from the stove, and began to shake it, as if trying to stop the pain.

'James? What happened?' I asked, concerned.

'I burned my hand.' He explained, through gritted teeth.

I stood up and guided his hand over to a bucket of cold water, and made him hold his hand under it for several minutes.

'How did you manage that?'

'I just grabbed the handle. I didn't think.' He said.

I just tutted in disapproval.

'Always use a cloth.' I told him.

'I know that!' He snapped. 'I wasn't thinking.'

Stunned, I stepped back.

He had never snapped at me. Never.

He seemed to instantly regret what he had done, and his gaze turned remorseful.

'Marion.' He pleaded.

I just took another step back.

'I'm sorry. I…I just…'

He sighed.

'I didn't mean to raise my voice. I just wasn't thinking.' He explained.

He held out his other hand to me. I took it, stepping back towards him.

'What were you thinking about?' I asked, as he pulled me closer so I was pressed against his side.

'Nothing.' He answered straight away.

That only made me suspicious.

'Hmmm' I sighed.

James just looked down to his submerged hand, trying to ascertain if the burn had cooled enough.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened, and Daniel stood on the stairs.

'Good morning.' He said, striding into the room, glancing at James's hand in the bucket. 'Already getting into accidents this early in the morning.'

James just nodded.

'He tried to make breakfast.' I explained.

'Ah.' Daniel replied. 'Oh you highborns. Useless in a kitchen.'

James smirked a little.

'I have other strengths.' He told my brother.

Daniel just nodded, and moved to grab the cloth before looking in the pot.

'I'll finish this, you go and get dressed.' He said, noting that we were both still in our nightclothes.

I only nodded, and both of us began to make our way out of the kitchen and up to our bedrooms.

My mind was still ticking over what James had said. He had been thinking of something, that much was certain. But he didn't want to tell me what exactly.

James walked slightly ahead of me, straight into his bedroom, and closed the door behind him.

Now I knew something was wrong.

He had shut me out.

Literally, he had closed the door in my face.

Something was definitely wrong.

And I was too damn stubborn to let it stand.

Walking right up to the door, I pushed it open, not care that I hadn't knocked. I had slept in this room for almost two months. It almost felt like my own room.

James was buttoning up his trousers, looking away from me, his nightshirt flung on the ground.

'What are you doing?' I asked him, closing the door gently behind me.

He didn't even look around.

'I'm getting changed.' He told me.

'No, what are you doing, to me?' I demanded, crossing my arms in front of me.

He didn't respond.

'You're pushing me out.' I said.

'Marion, leave it.' He muttered.

'No I will not leave it!' I cried.

He stood, and moved over to try to find a clean shirt. But I was faster, and stepped in front of him.

'Please, just don't.' He asked.

'What is the matter? Why aren't you telling me?'

'What? Like when you almost didn't tell me you might be pregnant?' He cried.

I felt the blood leave my face. How could he?

'That is different.' I ground out.

'Marion just leave it!'

'I didn't tell you because I wanted to spare you from the dread that I was feeling!' I almost shouted at him.

'Well, maybe this is the same!' He retorted.

'How could it possibly be the same? I panicked because I thought I might have a baby! I highly doubt that you have something similar.'

'Marion, please, just stop it!'

'No. What are you not telling me?'

James tried to step past me, but I stopped him.

'James, please!'

He tried again, and I actually pushed him backwards.

'Just stop.' He pleaded.

His gaze was fixed on the floor. He didn't look angry, only upset.

I, on the other hand, was angry. Why wasn't he telling me what was bothering him? Why didn't he trust me? What had I done to make him feel like he couldn't tell me?

'Please.' I begged him.

He only turned away from me, and made his way to pick up his nightshirt, and moved to put it back on.

My heart slumped. I just felt like I had lost. That I didn't have his trust.

'James, please.' I said, my voice breaking just a little.

At that, he stopped.

'Why don't you trust me?' I asked, a lump rising in my throat.

James only stilled. No response, no reply.

'Why?' I asked.

He still didn't respond.

My heart sank. Dread coiled in my stomach, and tears began to collect in my eyes.

James wouldn't tell me. He didn't trust me. Even after everything, he didn't.

I couldn't believe it.

And I couldn't stay in that room while he just stood in silence.

I'd had enough of silence. I'd endured my fair share of it.

I didn't want to be there.

So, I took a step forward.

And then another; quicker this time.

Until I stormed out of his room and straight into mine, slamming the door behind me.

I didn't hear anything from his room. No sound to suggest he had even moved from the spot. He didn't try to come after me, didn't apologise.

Nothing.

I slumped onto the bed, and felt several angry tears make their way down my cheeks.

What was he hiding? Why didn't he trust me?

The sounds of people moving about in the entrance hall made me snap out of my thoughts. My family were waking up and already running around the house.

At least now, I wasn't alone. While they had been cursed, the house had felt too big and empty and the loneliness had oppressed me from all sides when James had not been there. But now, my brothers and sisters were always there for me.

I wiped away a few tears and proceeded to get dressed for the day. I managed to do the laces on my lilac gown myself, as I was in no mood to ask James to do it.

Checking in the mirror one last time to make sure there was no evidence of my upset state, I left my room and made my way down to the kitchen.

Daniel had finished making porridge, and was slicing some bread, while Alexander spooned some jam into a bowl. I greeted them, and then carried a tray up to the dining room.

Gwen, Tom and Robbie were already there, though they were still yawning a little. We all ate, Clara and Richard joining us much later.

James did not appear at all.

But that was probably for the best. I was in no mood to deal with him in front of my family.

'Is James alright?' Asked Daniel casually.

My head snapped around to look at him.

'Why? I asked quickly, my heart pounding a little.

'His hand, this morning. Has the burn gone down?' Daniel explained.

I felt the fear leave me, as I realised they still knew nothing of our fight.

'Yes, it will be fine.' I assured him.

'Well, I hope he can still write.' Alexander commented. 'He promised to go through the financial books with me today.'

Good, I thought. If he was talking with Alexander, then I didn't have to see him for the next few hours.

We finished breakfast, and I moved to go and wash up. I saw Alexander go to knock on James's study, but there was no response.

'He's upstairs.' I told him, before turning away and walking down the stairs. I didn't look back to see if James actually opened the door for my brother.

I busied myself in the kitchen for as long as possible. I washed up the pots and bowls, reorganised the shelves, and began to make several loaves of bread for the next few days. Kneading the soft dough was exactly what I needed to get out some of the anger that still had a tight hold of me.

How could he not trust me? After everything that had happened, how could he not tell me what was bothering him?

Was he disappointed? Was he angry that I wasn't actually pregnant? He had seemed so happy when I had told him that I might have been with child. Those words this morning, about how he wanted children when I was ready for them, were they all just a lie? Had he wanted me to be pregnant?

That only served to make me angrier at him.

I was not ready, and who was he to force that onto me? It was my body, I would be the one who would carry a child, not him.

I kneaded the bread dough harder and harder.

What was the matter with him?

'Woah, what did that dough ever do to you?' Came a voice from the stairs.

I looked up to see Alexander stood with a slight grin on his face.

'It existed.' I told him, and went right back to hitting it.

Alexander sighed, and took a step inside the room.

'I've been told,' He started. 'To ask you if you would go up to the study.'

I shot him a glare.

But to my brother's credit, he didn't flinch.

'Why?' I asked.

'Because there's someone there who owes you an apology.' He explained softly.

I simply continued to knead the bread.

'Why are you involved in this?' I asked, not looking up.

Alexander sighed.

'Trust me, I don't want to be. But James is rather hopeless at teaching anything while he's in this state. So, I made him tell me.'

I scoffed.

'Oh, so he trusts you!' I snapped.

'Arry, he trusts you too. But it's more complicated than that.' He told me.

I smacked the bread dough down onto the work top.

'How can it be more complicated? He won't tell me!' I cried, glaring at my brother.

He held up his hands.

'Don't shout at me. I'm just the messenger. But I know why he's so upset, and I think you should hear him out.'

'I don't see why I should. He didn't want to tell me before.'

'Yes, but he does now. It's…When he explains, you'll see why he's upset.' Alexander tried to reason.

I just pushed the bread dough harder into the table.

'Arry, really. He wants to talk to you.'

I picked up the dough and smacked it down on the table.

'I don't want to talk to him.' I said bluntly.

'I know. But he's really in a state.'

Alexander sighed loudly.

'Why am I the one, yet again, that is involved in my sister's marriage! What did I do to deserve this?' He complained.

I just continued to work.

'Arry. Please. Just for my sake, so I can get back to learning. Go and scream at him for all I care, but just go up so he doesn't want to kill me.'

I huffed, and lifted the dough to smack it down one final time.

Alexander simply waited patiently for me to finish placing it in the tins so it could rise. I dragged it out for as long as I could, but I knew I had to go and see him.

I hated this.

We couldn't go on this way. We just couldn't.

'Fine. I'll go.' I conceded as I moved to the doorway.

'Thank you.' Alexander said. 'Just as a precaution, should I make sure that the younger ones are out of earshot, in case of unsavoury language?'

'Probably.' I told him, before turning away, and making my way up slowly to face my husband.

Wiping my hands on my dirty apron, I took one step after another, each one drawing me closer and closer to the study door.

He'd better be sorry.

I didn't even bother knocking. I didn't want to have to be summoned inside like a dog. So, I just pushed the door open and stepped forwards.

'You wanted to see me?' I asked.

James was sat at his desk, hunched over, but he looked up instantly when I spoke.

'Marion.' He said, as if out of surprise. As if he didn't know that I'd come.

I just waited in the doorway.

'Would you…please come inside?' He asked.

Without thinking, I stepped forward and let the door swing shut behind me. My arms folded in front of me as I waited.

James stood from his chair, and slowly walked towards me. He stopped only a matter of inches away. I held his gaze, refusing to back down.

He bit his lip, as his fingers fidgeted. I was almost certain he didn't know what to do with his hands. Usually when we were this close, his hands were trailing up and down my arms, or stroking my shoulders, or buried in my hair. It felt strange to be so close, and yet not.

'So?' I asked impatiently.

James took a deep breath.

'I wanted to apologise. For earlier. I didn't mean to try and shut you out, but I needed time. I needed to think through things. And I should never have said that thing about you hiding the pregnancy, that was uncalled for.' He said. It sounded like something he had been practicing in his head.

'Think through what things?' I asked.

He sighed.

'I was going to ask you about it yesterday.' He admitted, turning away from me, and taking a few steps back towards his desk.

'But then, I found you in the nursery, and you were so upset, I knew I couldn't tell you.' He explained, pulling open the top drawer of his desk.

From where I was stood, I couldn't see what he was looking at, but he seemed to still for a moment, staring at it.

Then, he lifted his gaze up to me.

'Does the date, the fourth of April mean anything to you?' He asked.

I was stunned. This was not what I thought this conversation would be about.

I shook my head.

'No. It was the day before I received a letter from Alexander telling me to come home as Father was sick. It was two days before he died.' I told him.

James only looked back down to the open drawer.

'Are you sure?' He asked.

'Yes!' I cried. Why didn't he believe me? 'Why, should I know that date?'

James only took a shuddering breath, and picked up a small piece of card from the drawer.

'I found this, on my desk, under a pile of paper yesterday. And it doesn't make much sense.' He admitted.

Then, with a slightly shaking hand, he passed it to me.

Curiously, I took it from him, and was stunned by what I saw.

 _To James Thorne,_

 _You are invited to the wedding of Jack Hale and Marion Brown, on the 4_ _th_ _of April, in the village of Milton._

There were other words written on the page, but I couldn't tear my gaze away from those first few lines.

Wedding?

My wedding?

To some man called Jack?

'What?' I breathed, my attention fixed solely on my name, inked on the card for all to see.

'I just want to know the truth.' James asked. He had moved to my side while I tried to come to terms with what I was seeing.

'This..Is this a joke?' I asked, looking up to him.

'I don't think so.' James told me, reaching forward to turn the card over in my hand.

More words were written on the back.

 _Dear James,_

 _I know we haven't kept in touch recently, but I miss our friendship. I'm getting married shortly, and if you would like to come, you are more than welcome. Ella and Christopher are coming as well, and they promised to bring little Jonathan; I haven't seen him in so long. I hope you can make it; it would be so nice to see you again._

 _From Marion._

That was my handwriting. It was unmistakable.

I had written that.

I had been engaged!

I had invited James to my wedding to another man.

The world around me seemed to start spinning as I tried to work out what I had just read.

'Marion?' James asked, his tone concerned.

'How?' I breathed, as the world kept spinning. I could feel myself growing dizzy just at the thought of it.

I had been about to get married! How was that possible?

I didn't even know this Jack. I had no recollection of him.

I had no memory of any of this.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

How was this possible?

My breaths came in short pants as I tried to figure out what I was looking at.

Engaged!

I had been about to get married.

And I couldn't remember anything about it.

Vaguely, I felt James place his arm on my shoulder, as if trying to comfort me. But I couldn't focus on it.

Married!

I had almost married another man. Only a few weeks before I had married James.

'Marion?' I heard James ask, but I was too deep in thought to respond.

Who was this Jack?

My betrothed?

Why couldn't I remember him?

'Marion!' James said, more forcefully, and I snapped out of my daze.

He was stood in front of me, his green eyes so full of concern.

'I just need to know.' James sighed. 'I need to know what you remember.'

'What?' I asked, still no completely understanding what was happening.

James ran a hand through his hair.

'I just... I was on edge this morning, because I knew that you had been promised to another man, and you hadn't told me about it. I didn't sleep all night. You've never mentioned anyone called Jack. And I thought you might have been hiding it from me. But then Alexander didn't even know and…'

'You thought I was lying to you?' I cried, stepping back from him.

How could he? Did he think that I had been lying to him the entire time we had been together?

'No!' James assured me. 'No, I don't think you were lying. I just needed time to think it through, which is why I was so horrid to you earlier.'

'So, what did you think?'

'I thought,' James said firmly, 'That my wife had been engaged to someone else, and she hadn't told me! I thought-'

He stopped suddenly.

'Thought what?' I asked, almost too terrified to hear the answer.

James sighed.

'I thought, that you had been in love with someone else.' He admitted.

I simply stood there, stunned.

'So, I'm asking you to just tell me the truth. Were you engaged?' He asked.

I glanced down to the wedding invitation that was still in my hand. It looked so real, so genuine. My own handwriting was there, and yet I had no memory of writing it.

'I…I don't think I was.' I told him, still unable to look away from the card. 'I can't remember.'

James took a deep breath.

'Do you know who Jack Hale is?'

I was about to shake my head, when I found my eye skimming over the words.

Jack Hale.

J Hale.

J.H.

I didn't respond to James, as something finally clicked into place. Some small measure of truth had finally broken free.

I turned, and took a step towards the door, before pulling it open, and walking out.

'Marion?' Came James's shout from behind me. But I ignored him.

I needed to see for myself.

Practically running, I mad it up the staircase and along the corridor, James close at my heel calling my name and asking me to stop. I could vaguely hear his apologies, but I wasn't listening to them.

J.H.

I yanked the door to the mistresses chamber open, and ran through, only stopping when I got to the desk.

I could see James out of the corner of my eye, standing in the doorway, out of breath, and upset.

Fumbling with the small drawer, I gently pulled it open.

A familiar sight greeted me.

My things from home. From Rault.

These were the small keepsakes I had in the bottom of my bag when we had fled Rault. But my attention was focused on two items in particular.

With shaking hands, I pulled out the folded up piece of paper. It had writing all over the back of it, words from when James had proposed to me. It had been the only thing I had that I could write on when I had stopped his horse.

But, I unfolded it, and turned it over.

There it was, plain as day. Right in the corner of the page, next to the sketch of my sister, were two letters.

 ** _J.H_**.

I let out a shuddering breath.

J.H.

Jack Hale.

My betrothed?

He had sketched Gwen. He had met her.

And I had known him.

But I couldn't remember any of this.

'Marion?' James asked, the pain evident in his voice.

I slumped backwards onto the bed, the piece of paper clutched tightly in my hands.

'It was him?' I breathed.

'What was?' James asked.

I glanced up to him, to see him hover a little next to the bed, as if he was unsure whether or not he was allowed to sit. He looked so upset, his eyes pleading with me to explain.

I was lost for words. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I was just so shocked.

But I shifted to the side so James could sit next to me, and patted the empty space. He quickly lowered himself onto the bed, and looked down at the page in my hand.

'It was him.' I repeated, pointing to the initials in the corner.

James's eyes went wide when he saw it.

'He drew Gwen?' He asked.

I nodded, still not quite believing it.

Then, another thought came crashing through my mind, and I stood up.

Moving back to the open drawer of trinkets from home, I rummaged around until I felt my fingers brush against a piece of cold metal.

My heart almost stopped.

My fingers tightened around it, my pulse pounding in my ears, and lifted it out.

There, in my hand, sat the small but beautiful bronze ring I had found on the floor of my room in Milton.

The bronze ring with a small amethyst set into it.

The one that had mysteriously fit my fourth finger perfectly.

I heard James release a sound of almost anguish when I picked it up.

'I was engaged?' I asked, more to myself, turning the ring over in my hand.

This must have been it.

This was my betrothal ring.

To another man.

To Jack.

I had been about to get married.

Then why didn't I remember any of it?

I turned back to James whose head was hung low.

'What…How do….Who?' I asked, falling back onto the bed.

James still didn't look up.

I turned to him, and placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

He still didn't respond.

'James?' I asked, all hint of rage or anger now completely disappearing from my heart.

He finally lifted his head slightly, but that only made my heart almost bleed with sorrow.

He looked broken, as if his entire world had just been ripped out from under him.

'So, you were engaged.' He said, but there was no tone of anger, only pain.

'I..' I started, and fund myself completely unable to finish the sentence.

'Were you.' James asked, but each word sounded like a blow to his heart, 'In love with him?'

I shook my head.

'I don't know. I can't remember any of this. I don't know who he is!'

James loosed a long breath.

'Do you want to find him?' He asked.

I moved to look at him, and realised he meant it.

If that was what I wanted, if I wanted to go and find my betrothed, then James would let me. It would break him, but he would let me go.

'I…I don't…I…' I stammered, trying to find the words to express what I was feeling.

But my mind was still spinning.

I did, rather selfishly want to know who this Jack was, and why I couldn't remember him. But as the same time, I was still deeply in love with James, and at this point, I didn't want to risk losing him on the slight chance I might meet this man who I didn't remember, or love.

But so many more things made sense now.

That man I had been seeing, in the dreams with the faerie. That must have been him. The red haired man.

That dream I'd had, where I saw myself being chased by him, that must have been a memory from long ago, not a future.

The ginger one that the faerie had told me I couldn't remember, that had also been him.

He had been my betrothed. And in that vision he had shown me in my dream, we had been happy. So unbelievably happy.

But I wasn't sure if I wanted that anymore.

So much had changed in those last five months. I had fallen completely in love with someone else.

And I really did love James, enough to know that I didn't want to leave him because of some past lover who I couldn't even remember the name of.

Placing my hand gently over James's, I made him meet my gaze.

'I don't want to go.' I told him.

James looked rather startled at that.

'But, you were betrothed…'

'But I married you.' I said, as calmly as I could. 'Whatever happened, that I can't remember, I didn't marry him.'

And while I did want to know why I couldn't remember any of this, I also knew that I didn't want to give up James. I would never want to give up James.

'But-' He started, and I placed a finger over his lips to keep him quiet.

'I'm your wife. Not his. I don't even know who he is. And I don't know about my heart back then, but I can only speak for it now. But right now, my heart is yours. Completely.'

The corner of his mouth twisted slightly up into a smile.

'I love you. And I've only had eyes for you since that day in the forest.' I told him. 'No one else.'

He let out a shuddering breath, and moved his hand up to cover the one that was still placed on his lips. He turned my hand over, and pressed a firm kiss to the back of it.

I moved the piece of paper and the ring to the bedside table, and then turned back to him.

'I married you, isn't that all that matters?' I asked.

I told James this, because I knew that it was what he needed to hear. Because I needed to say those words to prove to myself what I wanted.

I wanted James.

Not some ghost from my past.

Him.

'I love you.' I told him.

James didn't respond with words, but instead let loose a ragged sigh of relief, and leaned forward to kiss me.

His lips pressed firmly against mine as he held my face in his hands. It was as if he was trying to banish all thoughts of this other man from my mind. My every sense was filled with James. I kissed him as fiercely as he kissed me, trying to reassure him that I was his, and his alone.

He groaned against my lips, and pushed me backwards, until I was laid flat on the bed, but his lips didn't leave mine once. His hands moved down my neck, over my collarbone to my waist, while my fingers dove into his thick brown hair. I pulled him against me, holding him tightly.

I didn't want to let go, and I didn't want him to stop.

I wanted him, not whoever this other man was.

James.

He finally wrenched his lips away from mine, and began to kiss the column of my neck.

'I'm sorry.' He muttered against my skin. 'I'm so sorry for upsetting you.'

I tried to form a reply, but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a breathless sigh as he kissed the spot where my shoulder met my neck.

'I love you.' He whispered, kissing back up my neck to my face. But I pulled him up and captured his mouth with mine. His fingers pressed in a little tightly at my waist, but I didn't care in the slightest.

'I love you too.' I managed to whisper between kisses, as James only pressed himself tighter against me.

I was completely lost in the sensation of him, how much my heart was utterly his, when we were rudely interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

'James?' Came a voice on the other side.

We broke apart, and James seemed to realise what a rather scandalous position we were in, and almost jumped backwards.

'One moment.' James called, as he attempted to fix his clothes back into place. I tried my best to smooth down my dress and hair, but it was still plainly obvious what we had been up to. I had to bit my lip when James gave me a rather smug smile when he saw the state I was in.

'Is Arry in there too?' Came the voice again. It was now clear that it was Alexander on the other side of the door.

We both turned to each other, not really sure how to reply. But Alexander had told me to go and talk to James, so he probably already knew I was there.

'Yes, I am.' I admitted.

Alexander waited a moment, and then something appeared under the door.

'I don't want to come in. But this arrived for you both a few days ago. We forgot about it, sorry.'

Then, there were only rapid retreating footsteps, and it was obvious that he was gone.

James moved over to the door, and bent down to pick up what Alexander had just slid underneath.

'It's a letter.' He informed me, turning it over so he could break the seal. 'And it's from the Howards.'

Ella and Christopher.

I spied both James and Marion written on the front in neat curling handwriting; that was Ella's.

James perched on the edge of the bed, and I crawled over so I was kneeling behind him, my chin peering over his shoulder allowing me to read.

He unfolded the pieces of paper, and we both began to read.

 _Dear James and Marion,_

 _What wonderful news! I'm so happy that the curse is finally over! Marion, you must love being able to speak again. We're definitely going to have to visit you soon. It's been so long since I heard your voice, I hardly remember what it sounds like. We really are utterly thrilled that the curse is over._

 _We have two pieces of news for you, hopefully both of which you will think is good news._

 _Firstly, as you know, it is my birthday on the Eighth of September. Twenty-two, can you believe it? And as such, we're hosting a ball at the palace. We're having a large celebration as we didn't have one for my twenty first birthday last year. I can't wat to play the hostess. It will be on the night of the eighth, and we do hope you'll come. We're also inviting Alexander, Daniel and Clara. I would invite the others, but I think we both agree that they're a little too young for this sort of thing. You are all more than welcome to stay for the night, but I know Thorne manor isn't too far from the palace. Maybe you could even go back to Rault for the night? Anyway, I do hope you'll come. It would be nice to have some familiar faces, instead of just all the other highborn women._

 _Secondly, we have news about the faerie._

 _We don't have all of the facts, but Christopher has been writing to Lord Knighton, and we've learned quite a bit._

 _So, apparently, Lady Annette made a deal with the same faerie that cursed you, almost two years ago. She didn't know what the faerie wanted, but she was in love with Lord Knighton and wanted the chance to meet him (isn't that romantic!). But the faerie came back and demanded her child as payment, which was why there were so many more guards. It must have been awful for her. I couldn't imagine anyone threatening to take Jonathan away from me, I would be heartbroken!_

 _Lord Knighton hid the child and when the faerie came to claim him, they made another deal. One where they had to guess his name. From what we can gather was that it was actually Lady Annette's father who managed to get the name, but sadly he died before they could face the faerie. Apparently he'd been a heavy drinker all of his life. Lady Annette was distraught at her father's death, as anyone would be, and the next day when the faerie came to claim the child, they revealed his true name, and quite the battle ensued. In fact, we seem to believe that it was Lady Annette herself who killed him._

 _So Marion, the faerie is actually dead. Your curse is certainly at an end._

 _The only thing that gets slightly more curious about this whole affair is that Lord Knighton said when the faerie died, his body turned into golden light and flew off south east, crashing a hole in his castle wall. And the only place that lay south east of his castle is the village of Milton!_

 _Can you believe it! The faerie who cursed you flew off in the direction of the place you used to live, how curious!_

 _But anyway, Lady Annette and Lord Knighton have been reunited with their child, and I think they are both planning on attending the celebration for my birthday, if you would like to meet them._

 _They have also written to us to thank you, as when they were looking for information about the fae, we sent the letter you sent us to them (I hope that was alright?). They said they couldn't have broken their bargain without it. Look Marion, you're a heroine!_

 _Anyway, I hope you will both come to my birthday celebration, and I hope that the other Browns can make it too, I've got a feeling Clara will rather enjoy it._

 _Lots of love to both of you._

 _Ella and Christopher._

 _P.S. We've finally gotten Jonathan to say 'James.' It sounds a bit like 'Ames' but we're so proud of him. He likes shouting for his Uncle Ames and Aunty Arry._

I couldn't help but beam as I finished reading Ella's words.

'So, he is actually dead!' James exclaimed. 'You are all really free!'

This what I had needed to hear, what I had waited to hear for weeks.

He was gone! The faerie that had caused all that misery, was finally gone.

And I had helped in that. What I had found in that book had helped bring him down.

But there were so many more questions that I wanted answers to.

Why had he cursed me? Why had he cursed this Lady Annette? What could he possibly want with her son?

And why on earth had the golden light gone to Milton? Ella was right about that; it was certainly curious. What was in Milton?

'I'm presuming we're going to go to Ella's birthday?' James asked, turning his head so he could meet my gaze.

I nodded, my eyes were still fixed on the section about the Faerie flying to Milton. What could there possibly be in Milton?

Something seemed so close, like I was just on the verge of working it out. There were so many things that didn't quite add up, and yet, I felt like I knew something more. There was something just out of my reach.

I tried to delve deep within my mind, desperate to find that missing link, something to explain why all of this was happening.

But suddenly, I felt blood rush to my head, and a wave of dizziness hit me. It was just like before.

I started to sway, my vision going a little blurry in the corners, as my head felt lighter and lighter.

'Marion!' James shouted, grabbing my shoulders.

I didn't respond, couldn't respond. My only thoughts were how strange my head felt.

'Not this again, please not again.' I heard James mutter. 'Marion!'

I focused on my breath, bending forward slightly. My hands fisted in the sheets of he bed as I tried to get my breathing under control.

I could beat this. I was not going to pass out again.

But the black kept invading my vision.

Gulping down air, I kept myself focused. Breath in, breath out. Again and again and again.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the blackness started to retreat.

I was winning; I was going to beat it.

Breath in, breath out.

Eventually, it began to clear away completely.

'Marion?' James was asking, his voice full of concern.

'Just.' I panted. 'let me have a minute.'

It hadn't entirely gone, but I was definitely winning now. I could see everything once more, no more black spots. Just my head still felt a little light.

After a minute, I got to a point where I didn't have to clutch the bed to make sure I wasn't going to fall over.

'Can I have some water please?' I asked, noticing my throat was rather dry.

James immediately moved to grab the cup of water that he kept by his bed in the other room. He returned in a matter of moments, handing it gently to me.

I gulped down great swigs of it, attempting to quench my thirst, the lightness in my head disappearing with every passing second.

Once I felt vaguely like myself, I set the cup down, and turned to face James.

'Are you alright?' He asked softly.

I nodded.

'I think so. Sorry, I just felt rather dizzy.' I explained.

'Well, at least you didn't faint this time.' He joked, but he sounded relieved. He sat on the edge of the bed, and opened his arms to me. I shifted so I was snuggled against him, my head resting on his shoulder.

'We never did get a physician to examine you, did we?' James muttered, remembering the conversation we'd had on his birthday when I had fainted.

I shook my head.

'You were occupied, with Philip.' I said.

We still hadn't had any news of Philip, not since that one single note all those weeks ago. From what we had heard, even Antony seemed to have stopped the hunt, having left Duke Mallare's palace to go back to his own home. There was also still no mention of Rose, or any clue as to where she had gone.

James only sighed.

'Too much to get done, not enough hours in the day.' He said.

'It's better than having nothing to do.' I told him. 'Those days when Martha and Helen were here and I couldn't do anything, I thought I was going to go mad.'

'Well, I'm very glad you didn't' James informed me, tightening his arms around me just slightly.

We simply sat there, enjoying each other's company for a few moments.

'Alexander!' I suddenly cried out, almost jumping back.

'What about him.'

'He'll be waiting for you. He wanted to get back to learning.' I explained, trying to move out of his arms. But James only held me tighter.

'Just a few more minutes.' He pleaded.

I shook my head, and tried again, but he held me firmly. He gave me a mock pleading look.

So, I tried a different approach.

Leaning forward, I kissed his cheek, my hands sliding around his shoulders.

'Would you.' I muttered against his skin. 'please go,'

I kissed the corner of his mouth.

'So my brother doesn't want to kill me.'

Then I kissed his lips.

James pulled me in even tighter to him so I was pressed firmly against his chest as I kissed him.

I didn't really want him to go, but I knew Alexander would kill me if I deprived him of his lesson.

James's hands trailed from my back up to my shoulders, and just as they loosened around me, I stepped back and out of his reach.

He had the audacity to pout, as I took a step towards the door.

'He'll be waiting. Please, for me?' I asked, my fingers wrapping around the door handle.

James only sighed.

'Fine. But this is not over.' He teased, standing up and making his way over to the door. I pushed it open for him, but he still lent down and gave me one last kiss on my lips before stepping through the door.

'I love you.' I whispered to me as he passed through the door frame.

'I love you too.' I whispered back, unable to contain my grin.

He just smiled back, and then made his way down to the study to start to teach my brother.

I closed the door and walked back over to the bed.

There, still on the bedside table, was the drawing of Gwen and the ring.

My betrothal ring.

The one I couldn't remember.

I knew I should feel horrible about this, that I should be fretting over my lost memories.

But I found I didn't want to.

I didn't want to know about this other man. I was happy with James; I was in love. What if I had loved this other man, and that would complicate everything?

Or even worse, what if something had gone horribly wrong which was why I hadn't married him. Did I want those memories back?

And it had been over four months since our supposed wedding day. What if he had moved on, like I had.

No, I didn't want to know. Not right at that moment, not just yet.

I knew that one day, my curiosity would get the better of me, it always did in the end. But for now, I was happy. I had survived loss and curses and poverty. I wanted to be happy for a little while, I deserved to be happy.

So, I picked up the piece of paper and the ring, and carefully placed them back inside their drawer.

One day, I would want to know the answers.

But not now.

No, now, I wanted to live.

And so, I went to go and shout for Clara.

We had a ball to prepare for.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen.**

The following two weeks were a whirlwind of industry.

Ella's birthday ball was scheduled to occur exactly two weeks after the day me and James had read her invitation.

And it turns out, that as a highborn, there are more things to organise than simply putting on a dress.

Firstly, we now had enough money to buy a new ball gown for both me and Clara. I was perfectly happy to wear my emerald green one, but James almost insisted on getting me a new one. He had whispered that that was my wedding dress, and rather selfishly didn't want to share the image of me wearing it with any other lords and highborns.

Clara was utterly thrilled at the prospect of being able to buy a gown to go to a ball. She'd been dreaming about something like this her entire life, as I had been until I went to Christopher's ball over two years ago. She'd never thought she actually might get to go to one, and screamed with delight when I told her she was invited.

Gwen and Tom weren't as thrilled when I told them that they weren't going. Gwen had almost burst into tears, Robbie wasn't bothered in the slightest, and Tom had argued that they had gone to Lady Ella's wedding, so why couldn't they go to this ball? I was a little lost for words when James came to my rescue and told them that it was going to be late at night, and there was going to be no other children there for them to play with, so they would get bored. They still weren't happy with this, but it stopped Gwen from crying.

Daniel was also rather excited to be invited to a ball. He had boasted that he was going to make all the young highborn women fall over themselves when he appeared in his new jacket. We all scoffed at it, but he was determined to prove us wrong.

It was only Alexander that looked rather nervous. My brother had agreed to go, and I was sure he would enjoy it when he got there. But he told us all how he was quite nervous to have to talk with other highborns. Even though he didn't work in the fields anymore, and James was his brother in law, he still felt like they were his superiors, and he wouldn't know how to act around them.

I pointed out that he had managed to get through Ella's wedding without any of this nonsense, but he simply claimed that it was because he had clung to father for most of the afternoon, talking with him and not the other guests.

At that admission, James had risen from the table, and demanded we all go and stand out in the garden. We obeyed, but were very confused.

He lined us up and told us that we only had two weeks until the ball, so we were going to have to learn everything we needed to know rather quickly.

And the first lesson was to know highborn dances.

I already knew a few of them, from the ball and Ella's wedding. But Alexander, Clara and Daniel only knew the lowborn dances from the Mayday celebrations.

I stood with Alexander, James held Clara's hands and Daniel was paired with Gwen, as none of the other boys wanted to dance with him.

James hummed a simple minuet, and talked us through exactly how to stand, where to step and on what beat of the music to move on. Even though I had done it before, I couldn't really remember it that well.

When it became obvious that Gwen was struggling to remember everything, I made her switch places with me, so that Daniel could practice with a partner who knew where to step for a while.

But it was actually Daniel who probably needed the least help. He seemed to pick up the dances and stepping to the rhythm faster than the rest of us.

Once we had finally mastered the minuet, James moved on to the polonaise. I was never very good at this one, but once again Daniel seemed to get the hang of it almost immediately. He clearly had a talent for dancing.

Alexander and Clara were a little slower, so moved back to Alexander, and we both struggled through it.

And so it went on.

Each night in the two weeks leading up to the ball, James took us all outside, weather dependent, and made us practice our dances. By the end of the lessons, we were getting rather good at them, even Alexander.

We all knew how to dance minuets, polonaises, gavottes, jigs, waltzes, allemandes, reels, Quadrilles and Cotillions.

The second lesson was etiquette, and I finally began to understand why Blanche had hated these lessons.

There was so much to remember! How to address people, who to curtesy to, how to phrase words, which fork to use, and in which order. It also involved Clara and I walking up and down the stairs with books balanced on our heads. Despite being a swan for over three months, Clara wasn't very graceful. And I was even worse. Daniel and Alexander had to practice bowing, and how to hold their arms when escorting ladies around the ballroom. Alexander claimed he would never need to use it, but Daniel was a little too eager to learn.

Even James had to admit that etiquette lessons were tedious, but they had to be taught. I argued that I had managed perfectly well without them when I went to Christopher's Ball, but James replied that it had been one single event, and if I was insistent on staying married to him, I would need to learn for future events. We snuck away from my family for a while, as James endeavoured to convince me to stay married to him, in not many words, but rather actions. I didn't need much convincing, but I still appreciated the effort.

We were both blushing by the time we returned to my family to find Clara teaching Gwen how to balance a book on her head, as Robbie and Tom attempted to walk around with thick volumes on theirs. They all stopped when we entered the room, and James and I burst out laughing as Robbie and Tom quickly tried to pull the books off their heads.

It was a busy two weeks, with lessons and going to dress shops and returning for fittings.

However, the biggest news by far came exactly a week before the ball.

A single rider came hurtling down the path to the Manor just before midday on the first day of September.

None of us were expecting it.

I happened to be outside with Daniel and Clara, hanging out the laundry when we heard the loud hoof beats.

We ran around the side of the Manor to see the man jump off his horse and make his way towards us.

'Is Sir Thorne home?' He asked gruffly.

'No. He's out attending to tenants.' I explained.

'Where is he? This is urgent.' He told me. 'Fetch you master.'

I was stunned for a moment, but then looked down and realised I was wearing an old apron, and had been hanging out the laundry. I looked like a servant.

'I am Lady Thorne.' I told the man, straightening my spine.

He looked surprised until I held up my hand and showed him my wedding ring.

'My apologies, my lady.' He told me. 'But this needs to be delivered to your husband.'

'You can give it to me, I'll make sure he gets it.' I said, trying to keep my tone even.

He thought about it for a moment, and then extended his hand, and gave me the letter.

'Immediately. The proclamation is going out to the villages in an hour.'

Then, he climbed back onto his horse and galloped back down the path.

'What is it?' Clara asked from behind me.

'I have no idea.' I said, looking down at the thick envelope with a large wax seal on the back.

A shield with a sun and a Rose was stamped into the red wax.

I knew that seal.

Everyone did.

It was the royal seal.

The house of Valorian.

What did the Royal family want with James?

I vaguely remembered something that Ella had said when she was visiting with Jonathan, about how the Royal court had been disbanded, and all the highborns sent home. Apparently there was some kind of illness going around, and they had closed the court until the threat had passed.

But if there was to be a proclamation, chances were that something big had happened.

I'd never heard one in my life. There had been one when I was a baby, according to my parents. The Queen had given birth to a Princess, but it had died shortly afterwards. I couldn't remember it.

'Where is James?' I asked.

Both Daniel and Clara simply shrugged.

Then, we all began to run towards the study, to see if there was any clue as to where James and Alexander had gone. I was wildly curious as to what was written on the letter, but I wasn't going to open it, regardless of how much I wanted to.

There were pieces of paper strewn all over the desk, and not much of it made sense to me.

'Here! Richmond Farm!' Daniel shouted, pointing to a page on the corner of the desk, with a plea for aid fixing the roof written on it.

'Richard, look after the others for a little while!' Clara shouted, as the three of us took off, running in the direction of the farm.

We didn't wait to see if Richard responded, as we ran out of the house and down the path.

I'd never visited the farm before, but I knew it was on the far side of Arton. And we could ask for directions if we got lost. The curse was broken; I could actually speak to the people of Arton!

Luckily, we didn't have to run very far.

We just got to the outskirts of the village, when we spied Alexander and James walking back towards us, talking quietly with a sense of companionship between them.

'James!' I called, as we began to slow down, all three of us out of breath.

Both Alexander and James looked up to see us panting and red faced.

'What is it?' He cried, jogging towards us.

'A rider. He said it was urgent.' I managed to utter, handing the letter to James.

He took it from me, and turned it over, his eyes going wide at the sight of the royal seal.

He ripped it open, his eyes furiously scanning the page.

'What!' He cried.

Alexander, Daniel, Clara and I waited in silence as he kept us in suspense.

'Oh, I'm going to kill you!' James exclaimed.

'Who?' I asked.

James didn't reply, and just continued to read.

The moments dragged on, and then, finally, James looked up to us.

'He has a hell of a lot to answer for!' He shouted.

'Who has?'

James only sighed and began to read aloud to us.

 _A Royal Proclamation. To be read to the people of this land on the first day of September._

 _It is to be known, that the Princess Rose Matilda Valorian has returned to the royal family. For her own safety, it was announced that she had died in infancy, but this was false. Now, the threat to her life has passed and she has taken her rightful place at her parent's side._

 _It is to be known that she is the undisputed heir to the throne, and future successor of King Stefan._

 _Her royal Highness also wishes to announce her engagement to Lord Philip Mallare, son of Duke Frederick Mallare. They are to be wed in the winter._

 _The royal court is once again open, and the princess will be presented to the court in a formal ceremony within the month._

 _The royal family wishes the happy couple congratulations on their joyous news, and hopes the kingdom will rejoice with them. Upon their marriage, Lord Mallare will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Philip, consort to Her Royal Highness Princess Rose._

 _Long live the princess._

 _Long live the King._

James stopped reading a lowered the proclamation.

My mouth had unconsciously fallen open.

'Is that,' Alexander began, 'the Philip who is your friend?'

'Yes.' James replied, still staring at the page.

'Who is now engaged to the princess?'

'Yes.'

'The one who has been missing for months.'

'Yes, that's him.'

We all were frozen in surprise.

The princess wasn't dead.

Philip, was engaged to the princess!

Princess Rose Valorian.

Princess Rose.

Rose!

The realisation clattered through me.

Rose, from the cottage. The girl who had grown up hidden away from everyone. The girl whose Aunts wouldn't let her go any further that the outside of the cottage.

She was the Princess.

I had met the princess!

Blanche and I had hidden in her house. I had told her stories of the world!

And she had been the princess!

I had spoken with Royalty!

It all made sense! Why she's been so isolated, why she hasn't been allowed to interact with other people, why her aunts were so protective of her. She was the heir to the throne.

Our future queen!

That must have been where she had disappeared to. She went back to the Royal Palace, probably to be introduced to her parents after all these years.

'I'm going to kill him.' James muttered. 'Missing all this time, he scared us half to death, and he's been with the royal family the entire time!'

'So, your friend is going to be future King?' Daniel asked. 'That would be amazing! My brother in law is a close friend of the king!'

'No, he won't be.' James explained. 'It says he's going to be the consort to the Princess, so he will be king-consort if he's lucky, but most likely he'll remain a Prince when she takes the throne.'

My mind was still spinning.

Rose was the princess! She was going to be our Queen one day. Our ruler! I should have curtsied to her, and called her 'Her highness.' Instead, I had barged into her home, and hidden in her cellar like a criminal.

'Marion? Are you alright?' Clara asked.

'I met the princess.' I managed to utter.

'What?' She cried.

James's eyes went wide.

'That was Rose?' He asked.

'Is this the Rose whose house we stayed in?' Daniel asked. 'She's the princess?'

I nodded.

My siblings seemed to freeze in surprise.

'We were staying in the princess's home?' Alexander asked.

'You know the princess! You were going to ask her for help!' Daniel exclaimed. 'Does that mean we could go to the Royal court, as you're her friend?'

'She's not my friend.' I told them. 'I only stayed with her for one night. We only spent a few hours with each other, in the middle of the night, I wouldn't call us friends.'

'But she's the princess! If you were her friend, just think of what could happen!' Daniel cried.

'Philip is my friend, and now Marion's friends with the princess. I think an invitation to the royal court is almost certain. Also, Philip owes us all for this!' James told us.

The Royal Court!

We could all be invited to the Royal Court!

We could be great gentlemen and Ladies of the land.

And to think, just weeks ago we were running for our lives, and Alexander and Daniel had to go poaching just to keep us from starving.

'Truly? We could go to the Royal court?' Clara asked excitedly.

'I'm sure you're glad I gave you etiquette lessons now.' James told us, his smug smile gracing his face.

'Shall we wait to see if we actually get an invitation first, then we'll worry about going to the court.' I reasoned.

'Oh we'll be going. Just so I can give Philip a good whack around the head.' James said.

'What about Christopher and Antony? Will they hear the news?' I asked.

'I imagine they'll also get a copy of the proclamation, like I did.' James said, gesturing to the letter in his hand. 'They generally send out these to most of the highborns. Christopher and Antony are probably reading their letters right this second. But I think we should make our way back to the house, in case another rider appears with an urgent letter from either of them.'

And so, the five of us began to make our way back to the manor, our heads filled with dreams and hopes of attending the royal court.

No invitation came in that week, although we did get several notes from Christopher, Ella and Antony. Most of them were expressing their shock and surprise at the news about Philip. Antony was the most put out, as apparently he and Philip have always been closer with each other, like James and Christopher were.

All three of them had decided to give Philip a stern talking to, and several smacks for his stupidness.

And so, the morning of the Ball dawned, and we all made our final preparations to go.

Clara and I had a final fitting at the dressmakers just to ensure that our dresses were perfect.

I had briefly battled with the idea of visiting Milton, and asking Madam Cartwright to make our dresses. I'm sure Amelia would have worked hard on them, and I would have loved to see her again. And Isabelle too. But Milton was at least a five-hour carriage ride from Arton, and with so little time before the Ball, James had asked me to patronise one of the local shops. He also said it would be good for the people of Arton to know who their new lady was.

So, our dresses were made by the local dress shop, who practically fell over themselves to offer their services to the new Lady Thorne.

Clara had chosen a lovely coral pink gown; the skirt made of lightest chiffon. It fell loosely from waist, barely sweeping the ground so she wouldn't trip up. The top was styled of embroidered chiffon over a stiff silk bodice. The sleeves only just covered her shoulder, and left her lovely pale arms on display. It showed her youth; after all she was only sixteen, but she looked like a lady. She spent hours in the dressmaker's shop twirling around in her dress, pretending to be a princess, or something out of a fairy tale.

As much as I like Clara's dress, I had to admit I much preferred my own.

And what a dress it was!

Made of the softest silk I thought I had ever seen, it almost shone in the light. The vibrant sapphire blue colouring was utterly entrancing. The bodice was tight, and fitted to my waist, before flaring out into a wide skirt that made my waist look even smaller than it was. The neckline was circular, and ran from shoulder to shoulder, with golden floral decorations sown along it. There were hardly any sleeves, just a slight cap on the top of each arm. A golden ribbon was sown around my waist, which was then tied at the back.

Although I loved my emerald green wedding dress, I did rather love this one as well.

Clara and I had spent far too long practicing our dancing in our new dresses, making sure we didn't trip over the hem, and we could still move our arms. The seamstress must have thought we were mad.

Once we were done, and very happy with the result, I paid the owner with the money James had given me for the dresses, and managed to sneak into the workshop behind the shop to place a little extra money for the seamstresses.

As someone who had been a seamstress, up until rather recently, I knew how much work went into making gowns like this. And while I knew that the owner would pay a fair wage for their work, and wouldn't cheat them out of what they were owed, I still thought their hard work shouldn't go unrewarded. I knew that if it had been me, I would have appreciated the extra money.

We carried the dresses back up to the manor in their boxes, and I also carried an extra one with a jacket in it for Alexander. He had ordered it earlier the week before, but he hadn't needed a final fitting.

As soon as we walked through the door, we were assaulted by Gwen who wanted to know what the dresses looked like, and how we were going to style our hair, and if we had any pretty jewels to wear with them.

Daniel managed to finally distract her with some reading practice as Clara and I ran upstairs to our bedrooms to hang up our new dresses.

I had just managed to close the wardrobe door, hiding the dress from view when the door behind me opened.

'Do I get to see it, since I paid for it?' James asked, leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed in front of him.

'You'll see it tonight.' I told him, stepping in front of the wardrobe so he couldn't get to it.

'What if I want to see it now?' He teased, pushing himself off the door frame.

'Then you'll have to exercise self-control, because you're not seeing it until tonight.'

'That's hardly fair. I paid for it!'

'Then you should have bought it for someone who would give in to your every demand, and not me.' I teased back.

James tried to take a step forward, but I blocked his path.

'I didn't want to buy it for anyone else, just my lovely wife.'

'Later.' I told him, placing my hands on his shoulders.

James only huffed. To try and distract him a little, I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him. His hands snaked around my waist, and he pulled me in to him tightly.

A loud cough in the doorway had us breaking apart.

'If you're going to do that, at least close the door first!' Alexander complained.

'Is there something you want?' I asked my brother.

'I only wanted to know if you brought back my jacket back from the shop.' Alexander exclaimed.

'It's there, in the box,' I said, untangling myself from James's arms to point to the box on the chair.

Alexander simply picked up the box, and made to leave the room again.

'What time are we leaving?' He asked. 'I presuming we won't have time for any more lessons today?'

'We can do an hour or two.' James told him. 'We're not leaving until this evening, and it's just over an hour trip to the palace.'

'So, really, we need to begin now?' Alexander prompted, gesturing with his head to the door.

James only sighed.

'Whatever am I to do? Too many of you Brown's demanding my time.' James teased.

'I'm not demanding your time' I pointed out. 'I'm trying to get you out of the room so you don't peek! Go.'

'You're making it sound like you don't want to spend time with me, James!' Alexander joked. 'And I thought we were friends!'

James shot him a look that made it obvious that he was irritated.

'Go and set up. I'll be down in a little while.' He said, tuning back to me.

'Don't be too long, or I'll start to think you prefer my sister over me!' Alexander teased.

And with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

I only smirked.

'So, which one of 'us Browns' do you prefer?' I asked.

James arms circled my waist again, his familiar smug smile gracing his face. Leaning down until his face was only inches from mine, he said 'Alexander.' I knew he was only teasing.

'Oh, right.' I told him, trying to step back out of his arms. But he only held on tighter.

'If I'm not your favourite member of my family, I'll let you get back to your preferred Brown.' I cried, trying to push him back, as he only pulled me in tighter.

'Maybe I should go then.' He teased. 'So I can spend time with my favourite.'

'Maybe you should.' I replied, fully aware of how close we were.

James huffed a laugh, and then closed the distance between us and pressed a kiss to my lips. I melted into him for a few moments, before pulling back.

'Go on then, off you go.' I said, pointing to the door.

He only leaned forward and whispered in my ear 'You know exactly who my favourite member of your family is. I married her.'

'Don't tell Alexander that.' I joked, pushing him away, and towards the door.

He chuckled a little, and moved towards the door.

'I love you.' He told me, opening the door.

'I love you too.' I replied.

'And I still want to see that dress!'

'You'll see it tonight. Now go and force my brother to learn some numbers.'

He smirked, and then left the room, running down the stairs to his study.

I still had a smile on my face. It sometimes didn't seem real; that we were so happy. After everything we had been through, it almost seemed like a dream that it had all turned out so wonderfully. And it was a dream I never wanted to wake from.

I was madly in love with James, my family were all looked after and well cared for. There was no more magic, we were never going to starve again. James was friends with the future Duke and King consort, so it was almost certain that we'd have a charmed life for the rest of our marriage. It was all just so perfect.

Oh, what it was to be in such a happy situation. I'd never known joy quite like it before. And I never wanted it to end. If the moments could be made in eternities, I would have made every single one last forever.

But alas, I couldn't. No one could. So, I had to live through the passage of time like everyone else.

Perfection could not last.

It just couldn't.

No matter how much I wanted it, I couldn't make it last.

And so, I went forward into the future.

* * *

That evening, Clara and I sat in my room, attempting to ready ourselves for the ball. We both needed help to get into our dresses, and someone to do the laces for it.

Clara sat at my dressing table while I brushed her hair, braiding it back out of her eyes, and threading ribbon through it. We were just about ready to leave. I just needed my gloves and to put on any jewelry I wanted to wear. We had both spent a bit of time in front of the mirror trying our best to apply rouge to our faces so that we looked like we had made an effort, but also so we didn't look like we were porcelain dolls, with comically red cheeks.

'Do you think anyone will want to dance with me?' Clara asked wistfully.

'Of course they will! You look beautiful!' I assured her, securing the ribbon around her braid. I had used the front part of her hair to be braided backward so it didn't fall in her eyes when she was dancing, but left most of it down so it fell down her back.

'Well, it's fine for you!' She cried. 'You're married. James has to dance with you!'

'I don't remember that part of the wedding vows, or are there other vows that I agreed to that I don't know about.'

She scowled.

'But what if no one wants to ask me to dance?' She complained.

'We're going with James, Alexander and Daniel. I'm sure one of them will ask you to dance.'

'But they're my brothers! I want to be swept of my feet and dance with a handsome young lord!'

Some small part of me felt a surge of pride at Clara's admission that it felt like James was her brother. That he was part of our family.

'Well then, you'll just have to wait and see. But I don't think you have anything to worry about.'

'How did you get James to dance with you, at the Ball?' She asked.

I secured the ribbon at the back of her head with a bow.

'I don't honestly know.' I admitted. 'I was simply sat watching the dancing, and he just sort of appeared, and asked me.'

'I asked her.' Came a voice from the doorway. 'Because she looked beautiful in that green gown, and I couldn't work out why such a lovely woman was sat on her own.'

We both turned around to see James once again leaning on the doorway, smirking.

He was dressed and ready to go, looking quite as dashing as ever in his dark green jacket that was only as few shades darker than his eyes, and a cream embroidered waistcoat.

'I was quite content watching Ella and Christopher dance. And I was enjoying the fine food.' I told him.

'You still said yes.' He replied.

'Yes, I did. And spent the next few minutes trying to count to four in time so I didn't step on your toes.'

'And I just thought you were so distracted by my beauty!' James complained, but smiled at the same time.

Clara scoffed.

'The carriage is here, so we need to go if we want to get there in time.' James explained.

'You go on.' I told Clara and James, 'I'll just be one moment. I need to find my necklace.'

Clara almost squealed in excitement, and stood from the chair, and made her way to the door, as I looked over the table trying to find my emerald necklace.

A hand wrapped around the top of my arm, and I jumped in surprise. James was stood behind me, turning me around so he could look at my new dress.

I smiled and turned fully to face him.

'Is it up to standard?' I asked, giving him a bit of a twirl.

He beamed.

'I think it will do nicely.' He told me. 'But it doesn't possibly compare to the beauty of the one wearing it.'

The blood rushed to my face as I accepted the compliment.

'You look very handsome yourself.' I told him, admiring my husband. It still was a mystery to me how I had been so lucky that he was mine! My handsome, kind, loving husband.

And how I loved him. I really did, with all my heart. James was everything I'd ever dreamed of in a husband, and it still couldn't believe it was real.

So, I leaned forward, and place my hands gently on his shoulders.

'I love you.' I told him, meaning every single word.

'I love you too.' He said, lowering his head until his lips pressed against mine.

'My beautiful wife.' He mumbled against my lips, and then he deepened the kiss. His hands settled on the small of my back as he held me tightly.

'James? Arry? We're going to be late!' Came a shout from downstairs. 'Don't make me come up there!'

We reluctantly broke apart, and I had to turn away from him so I could continue to look for my necklace.

'It's there.' James pointed out, gesturing to the golden chain under a ribbon. 'Allow me.'

I nodded, and turned my back to him so he could loop the chain over my head and settle it against my neck. I also began to pull on my new lace gloves.

'Arry! Come on!' Alexander shouted.

'We're coming!' I yelled back down.

James fastened the familiar clasp, and the jewel hung around my throat.

'We should go, before Alexander marches up here.' I told him.

'In a moment.' James said, his hands tightening on my waist, and he spun me around. My back of my legs hit the dressing table, and I scarcely had time to react before James kissed me once again. I gasped in surprise, but that only made him deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding between my lips. I kissed him as fiercely as he kissed me, my heart soaring.

'Arry!' Alexander shouted once again, and we broke apart.

'We really need to go.' I told James, a little breathlessly.

He beamed, and offered his arm to me.

'My lady, may I accompany you to the ball?' He asked.

'Yes, Sir Thorne, you may.' I replied, threading my arm through his.

And together, we made our way down the stairs, and into the waiting carriage, where Alexander, Daniel and Clara were all waiting.

'Finally!' Alexander cried, as James shut the door behind himself and took the seat next to me, and across from Alexander. Hitting the top of the carriage, James signaled that we were ready to leave. The horses began to the move and the carriage took off.

Looking up, we could vaguely see four faces waving from the nursery window. Gwen, Robbie, Tom and Richard were being looked after by a lady from the village. Her name was Mary, and she had lived in Arton all her life. She also used to look after James in his childhood when his parents went away, so James knew and trusted her.

The carriage pulled away, and we settled into our seats.

The air was filled with excitement as my family rode off to the ball. And towards the night that would change everything.

* * *

AN- Hope you are all still enjoying the story, and I hope that now some of the loose threads are starting to make sense as they slowly weave together. Trust me, it's taken many hours of brainstorming to get it all to fit together.

As always, I love you hear from you ( I get so excited when that email comes through!) so, please leave a review!

Happy reading.

Generic-Fangirl.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen.**

The grandeur never failed to astonish me.

The marble columns, the golden decoration on the walls, the intricate gilding of the chandeliers. The candlelight that seemed to make every polished surface glow with magic.

The Ballroom of the Duke's palace was simply stunning. It still shocked me sometimes that this was where Ella and Christopher lived. That this was where Jonathan was growing up. I knew they were wealthy, but occasionally I forgot how much they did own.

There were people already milling around the room by the time we arrived. The carriage had pulled up to a halt at the bottom of the staircase, and we had all scrambled out, anxious to stretch our legs. Clara had almost squealed with excitement as she beheld the palace.

Daniel had escorted Clara up the steps, and James had escorted me. Alexander lagged behind us, his hands twitching with nervousness.

We all entered the ball room to see the orchestra setting themselves up on the far side of the room. Various other people were talking and gossiping around, and none of us could catch sight of Christopher or Ella.

James and I went first down the stairs into the ballroom, followed by Alexander. I had to hold my skirt up so I wouldn't trip over the hem. We just about reached the bottom when Clara and Daniel started to descend.

I felt a small flicker of pride as I watched Clara gracefully float down the staircase. She held her head high and her back straight, and looked every inch the princess she had always wanted to be. She reminded me of Ella when she had descended that very staircase over two years ago. They had called her the golden princess that night, and to everyone else, she had been.

But Clara wasn't wearing a shimmering golden gown, only a pretty pink one. It made her look youthful and lovely. Daniel beside her in his dashing brown velvet Jacket simply looked curiously around at the other ladies in the room, no doubt trying to see if any of them caught his eye.

'James! Marion!' Came a familiar voice from our left.

We both turned, and saw Christopher making his way towards us.

'There you are!' James sighed, moving forward to embrace his friend. 'Is that how you greet all your guests, just let them walk in and find their own group, how rude of you!'

'Sorry, we've been rather busy.' Christopher admitted, pulling away from James. 'Hello Marion!'

'Hello!' I replied. His eyes went wide a little at the sound of my voice.

'It's good to hear your voice again! Thank goodness that curse is over!' He told me, stepping forward, and giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek.

'I know. I don't think I'm ever going to stay silent again!' I told him.

'Well, Ella will be thrilled. She was looking forward to having an actual conversation with you. She'll be down here in a little while.'

'Where is she?' I asked.

'The nursery. Jonathan's ill.' Christopher told us.

'Oh dear.' Both me and James said.

'Nothing serious, we don't think, just an upset stomach. My father's also been taken ill with it as well; he's in bed resting. They'll be right as rain tomorrow.' Christopher explained.

'So, why didn't you cancel the ball?' James asked.

'Ella insisted. It's her birthday after all, so I couldn't say no. And she's probably right, it's just a stomach bug, it will pass.'

'Marion!' A loud shout from my right.

Ella was stood at the top of the staircase, beaming. She almost ran down the stairs, but unfortunately a small bump in her stomach prevented her from moving as fast as she would like to. Her pale pink flowing dress was pulled in at a point higher than her waist, so the fabric was loose around her belly. There was no denying that she was with child now.

'Ella!' I cried.

Her smile only grew wider as she heard my voice for the first time in over a year. She reached the bottom of the stairs and practically flung herself at me. I grunted in surprise as her arms wrapped around me.

'Happy birthday.' I managed to gasp.

'Oh, I'm so glad that horrid curse is over!' She cried.

'I am too.' I told her. 'No more animal mess to clean up.'

'Hey!' Alexander cried. 'We couldn't help it.'

I shot him a glare.

'Fine, we might have been able to stop a little bit of the mess, but usually it wasn't our fault.' He explained.

'You didn't have to clean it up!' I told him.

'But at least it's finished with now.' Ella reminded me. 'And how are you, James? Have you adjusted to your now vocal wife?'

James smirked.

'Oh, I think you'll find we're quite well adjusted.' He told her, snaking his arm around my waist.

'Urgh, do we have to listen to this again?' Daniel complained.

Ella just chuckled a little.

'I think it's romantic.' She said.

'We think it's annoying.' Alexander told her.

'Then go and find someone else to talk to.' I said to them.

'My! Clara, how lovely you look in that dress!' Ella cried, turning to my sister.

'Thank you, my lady.' Clara blushed.

'Oh, please, just call me Ella.' She insisted. 'You're not a servant anymore.'

'Yes, she's turned into quite the young lady.' I said, looping my arm through my sisters.

'I'm not a lady.' Clara protested. 'I'm still a lowborn.'

'Well, maybe you might be as lucky as your sister and me!' Ella told her kindly.

Both James and Christopher grinned.

'I think you'll find we are the lucky ones.' James told us.

'Argh! I'm going to go and find some wine!' Daniel cried, turning away from us.

'I'll join you!' Alexander added.

James chuckled as my brothers made their way towards the table containing many full glasses of wine.

Just then, the doors opened, and two people appeared at the top of the stairs.

'Excuse us, we should probably greet our guests.' Christopher said politely, offering his hand to Ella.

'We'll be back soon. I want to hear all about the curse ending and the seaside!' Ella whispered.

And then they were off, smiling politely at the strangers who stood in their ballroom.

'Shall we?' James asked, offering an arm to both my sister and I. We both took one, and he escorted us to the side of the room, away from the stairs.

'James!' Someone shouted, and we all turned to see Antony making his way towards us.

'So this is where you've been hiding!' James told him.

'I haven't been here long, only a few minutes.' Antony said, placing down the glass of wine in his hand.

'So, have you heard any more news? About the soon to be royal idiot?' James asked.

Antony scoffed.

'Other than the proclamation, nothing. Although he was polite enough to write to Christopher declining the invitation to this ball. Apparently he and the princess are too busy to attend.'

'Ah, the royals. Why am I not surprised?' James said.

'His father's going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. Even his mother's going to kill him! How could he not tell us something like that?' Antony complained.

'I imagine it's something to do with the fact the princess was dead for eighteen years before magically reappearing.' James told him.

'Yes, have you heard anything from her?' Antony asked me. I was taken back by the direction of the question.

'Why would I have heard anything?' I asked.

He was startled a little at the sound of my voice, but then seemed to remember that my curse was broken.

'Didn't you say you stayed with her briefly? At that cottage? I just thought if she'd been isolated all of her life, she might have reached out to the one person she actually did talk with.' He explained.

In my mind, I knew I was really one of two people she spoke with that day, not including Philip. But Antony didn't know about Blanche being present. He probably didn't even know who Blanche was.

'No. I've heard only what James received.' I told him.

Antony sighed. 'I still just can't quite believe it. After all these years, the princess isn't dead! And somehow Philip managed to win her! Philip! You knew how much he hated being chased by women, how he always tried to hide from them. He was worse than Christopher.'

'I know. It was a shock to me too.' James said.

'And to think, his children are going to be princes and princesses! With all that power and wealth! It's going to go straight to his head.' Antony complained.

'Don't worry. We'll set him right. Even if that means punching a royal, we'll make sure he stays firmly grounded.' James told him.

'We're punching which Royal?' Asked Alexander, as he and Daniel made their way back towards us, glasses of wine in hand.

'Which do you think?' James answered.

'If I had any money, I would say Philip.'

'There you are. A very good guess.' James replied.

'But shouldn't we simply let him be happy. He's won the heart of the princess after all.' Clara offered.

'He can live happily ever after with the Princess, after we've told him exactly how we feel about him disappearing for months with no word.' Antony said.

'Marion!' Came a feminine voice from behind me, and we all turned to see Ella walking towards us, but with two people close on her tail.

'I'm in need of more wine.' Antony told us, and disappeared. We turned back to the approaching people.

The woman Ella was with was fairly pretty, her long blonde hair tied back and secured with jeweled pins. Her brown eyes looked kind, but also betrayed just a little nervousness. The man by her side however was assured and confident. He was exceedingly handsome, with brown hair and tan skin, and a smile that left me in no doubt that the woman by his side was his beloved wife.

Both of them were rather well dressed, indicating their rank. They were most definitely highborns.

'Marion, may I introduce to you, Lord Edward Knighton, and Lady Annette.' Ella said.

Instinctively, I fell into a short curtsey. As did my sister. My brothers and James all gave them a polite bow.

'And this,' She said, gesturing to me, 'Is Lady Marion Thorne, her husband Sir James Thorne, and her family.'

Lord and Lady Knighton gave us a polite bow in greeting.

Looking at Lady Annette, I beamed at her.

So, this was the woman who had freed me from the curse. This lovely, slightly nervous lady had killed the faerie?

'I gather I owe my freedom from a faerie's curse to you?' I asked her.

Lady Annette nodded.

'So, you are the Marion who found the book which helped us immensely?' Her husband asked.

'Yes, that was me.' I told him.

'You have no idea how grateful we are to you.' James told Lady Annette kindly. 'How horrid that curse was.'

'Out of pure curiosity, what was your curse?' Lord Edward asked. 'We never actually knew what ailed you.'

'Well really, I wasn't the one who was cursed.' I explained, 'It was my family'

Turning around to point to each one I said,

'Clara was cursed to be a Swan, Daniel a raven, and Alexander was a squirrel. They were animals by day and human by night.'

Both of them turned to stare at my brother. Alexander was simply confused as to why they were assessing him.

They turned to each other for a moment, as if some sort of unsaid conversation was occurring, before glancing briefly back to my brother.

I had not a clue what they found interesting or intriguing about him, and he seemed to be just as confused as me.

'You are Alexander Brown?' Lord Edward asked.

My family and James all stared at them in shock.

'How do you know my name?' Alexander asked.

'Your sister just told us.' Lord Edward said.

But we all knew I hadn't. I had said Alexander. Not Alexander Brown. I hadn't mentioned that we were the Brown family.

'No, how did you know I was Alexander Brown?' He asked, placing emphasis on the word Brown.

Lady Annette looked to her husband, as if unsure as to what to say. I was simply stunned in confusion. How on earth did they know who Alexander was? And why?

Then, Lord Edward gave his wife a subtle nod, and they turned back to us.

'When we were searching for a way to break our bargain, we came across a list of names. It had the names of the Brown family on, and strange letters next to each of your names, apart from Marion.' Lady Annette told us.

'Strange letters?' Alexander asked.

'Well, now we know you were a squirrel, it makes much more sense. The letters next to your name were S.Q' Lord Edward explained.

'S.Q., for Squirrel.' I managed to work out.

'So, R.A, must be raven?' Lord Edward asked, glancing to Daniel. Daniel nodded. 'And S.W must be swan.' He said, pointing to Clara.

'So, what were the others? I presume they are your other siblings?' Lady Annette asked.

'Richard was a hedgehog, Tom; a fox, Robbie; a fawn, and Gwen was a Field mouse.' I explained.

Both of them nodded their heads in understanding.

'So, what was your part?' Lord Edward asked.

'I was the person who had to break it. My task was to stay silent for an entire year, and then they would be free. But thanks to you, it was only three and a half months.' I told them.

'And she did remarkably well. She even put up with marrying me while silent.' James joked.

'That happened while the curse was still in place?' Lord Edward asked.

'Yes, why?' James replied.

'It's only, he said something. Just before…Just before he…' Lady Annette seemed to struggle with finishing the sentence. No doubt it brought up horrid memories.

This woman had freed me, but she had also killed the faerie. And while I was eternally grateful to her for doing that, I knew that she must be wracked with guilt over killing him. I would be if it had been me. I had thought many times that I would have killed him if I had seen him again, but I wasn't completely sure that I could have done it.

'His final words. He said 'The Browns are in place.'' Lord Edward told us.

Pure shock filled me.

The Browns are in place? What was that supposed to mean?

'What?' Alexander asked, appearing to be as confused as I was. Daniel and Clara seemed just as shocked.

 _The Browns are in place._

Where were we supposed to be? At Thorne manor? At this Ball? Anywhere that was not Rault? Had he banished us from Rault for another reason?

'We have no idea. We thought you might know.' Lord Edward told us.

What had the faerie known? And what had he done?

All of this made me think back to that strange dream I had, all those months ago. The faerie had spoken to me about some purpose, some reason I had to suffer through the curse. Maybe this was the reason, to get me and my family to somewhere at the right time. The book after all had said that Faerie know about the future, and work towards it.

But where was he trying to get to? Or where had he succeeding in getting us to? If we were already in place, then he had completed his task.

'None of know what that means.' I told them. 'I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help.'

Lord Edward smiled kindly at me.

'Please don't worry yourself. You have already been of immense help to us. Our son is safe and well thanks to you, and we can never thank you enough for it.'

'I helped you break your bargain, and you released me from silence. I think we can call it even.' I told him.

'Oh my, look at the time. The dancing's about to begin. Please excuse me.' Ella said, before almost running to go and find Christopher. Alexander, Daniel and Clara began talking amongst themselves as to what could possibly be meant by 'The Browns are in place' and Lord Edward took a step towards me.

'If I may, might I request we talk in private. Just for a few moments?' He said quietly.

I was a little astounded by his request, before looking to Lady Annette.

'Will your wife be joining us?' I asked. He nodded.

'Then, may I bring along James?' I requested. If he was allowed to bring his partner, I didn't want to feel cornered. And there wasn't anything I wanted to hide from James.

Again he nodded, and gestured to a door in the far wall. Grabbing James's arm, I made him escort me through it, Lord and Lady Knighton following us. We all found ourselves in a small drawing room, completely empty and fairly dark. Only a few candles lit the room. Lord Edward shut the door behind him, and locked it.

'We apologise for the secrecy, but we would simply like to understand what was happening. We've been fretting over it for a month, and have no more answers.' Lord Edward explained.

I took a seat on a sofa, and James sat beside me. Lady Annette perched on the one across the small table from me, and pulled a note out of her pocket.

Laying it flat on the table, she let both James and I see it.

 ** _Bianca Knox_**

 ** _James Thorne - - Marion Brown- (Weston)- Jack Hale_**

 ** _Alexander Brown (Sq_** ** _)-_** ** _Scarlett Knox._**

 ** _Daniel Brown (Ra)_**

 ** _Clara Brown (Sw)_**

 ** _Richard Brown (He)_**

 ** _Tom Brown (Fo)_**

 ** _Robert Brown (De)_**

 ** _Gwen Brown (Mo)_**

I stared at it in shock.

'This was in the faerie's rooms when were searched them.' Lord Edward explained. 'And we are rather curious as to know what exactly is your connection with an accused murderess.'

My head snapped to stare at him.

James looked visibly agitated.

'You mean Bianca.' I said quietly, trying to calm down James.

'Yes. What are you doing associating with a known killer?' Lord Edward asked.

I shook my head.

'She is no killer. She would never do anything like that.' I told him.

'She killed her father!'

'No she didn't. Her stepmother did, and framed her for it.' I told him.

'There was proof, her ring was found-'

'The ring her stepmother stole from her while she was grieving over her father's corpse!' I argued. 'Anyone would be in a state if their father had just died! My own passed, not five months ago, and I was distraught. She let her guard down, and her stepmother took advantage of it and took power.'

Lord Edward only stared at me, as if he was still conflicted and didn't know what to believe. But I tore my gaze away from him and turned to his wife. She was looking at the floor, her hands tightened into fists.

'I believe you.' She whispered, finally looking up at me, tears in her eyes. 'My own father died only a month ago, trying to help us save Henry. I was never on good terms with him, but it still hurt. Enough that I let my guard down.'

Lord Edward immediately moved to his wife's side. James's hand rested softly over mine, and his thumb rubbed soothing patterns over my skin.

'Bianca is my friend. My very good friend. She has helped me for years, and stood by me through many things. She wants to protect me, as much as I want to help her.'

'She certainly didn't approve of our marriage.' James offered, smirking a little bit. 'I thought she was going to run me through.'

'And I know that she did not kill her father. She loved him, deeply. And her sister. And it killed her to have to leave her. She'd been in hiding ever since, trying to find ways to pay the Duchess back for what she has done. Bianca is innocent, and a good person that has been unjustly wronged.' I told them. 'Even if she is a little rough around the edges.'

Lord Edward seemed to accept this, but then James squeezed my hand.

'Out of interest, why is Alexander's name connected with Scarlett Knox?' James asked, pointing to the page.

I glanced back down at it, and was once again at a loss for words.

'That's Bianca's sister. Why are they connected?' James asked.

'Once again, we were hoping you would know.' Lord Edward told us.

'We know about as much as you do. Probably less.' James replied.

I heard James, but my attention was fixed on Lady Annette. She still looked upset from when she had mentioned her father's passing. And I knew exactly how she would be feeling. There were no words that could possibly express the grief that one feels at the loss of a parent. So, I simply, reached forward and placed my hand on hers.

'I'm sorry for your loss. Truly, I am.' I told her quietly, while James and Lord Edward continued to talk.

She only nodded in thanks.

'And I really cannot thank you enough for what you did. I can imagine it was horrible to do, and I don't think I could have done it, but I'm eternally grateful to you for it. I couldn't have stayed silent for much longer, and I would still be miserable. So, I really cannot thank you enough.' I said, meaning every single word.

A small shy smile graced her lips.

The sudden movement on the door handle made all four of us look towards the door.

'Hello? Is anyone in there?'

I knew that it was Christopher on the other side of the door.

'One moment.' James shouted, just as the orchestra began to play the first few notes.

'Shall we, ladies?' Lord Edward said, offering his hand to his wife. They stood and were about to turn away when I asked.

'May I have that?' I asked, pointing to the piece of paper still on the table.

'Of course. It's your family.' Annette replied before her husband could speak. She bent down and handed me the page, with a small grin.

'It was nice to meet you Marion.' She said. Then, they turned and made their way out of the room. I stood as well, to follow James out, but just as Lord Edward and Annette walked through the door, James closed the door behind them.

My confusion only grew as James reached down and locked the door.

'What are you doing?' I asked him.

My husband turned to face me, and gave me his usual smug smile. The one I had seen for the very first time within this very palace.

'I'm going to spend a few moments with my beloved wife, before she enchants everyone at the ball.' He said, taking a step towards me.

I scoffed at that, but he reached up and placed his hands on my shoulders.

'No, please, enlighten me. Who will you not enchant?' He asked, taking another step towards me, making me take a step back.

'Well, I'm pretty sure Christopher and Lord Edward are immune to my charms.' I teased. 'They only seem to have eyes for their wives.'

'True.' James conceded, taking another step forward.

I tried to take a step back, but found my back was pressed against the wall.

'So, I can't enchant everyone.' I told him.

'But you have enchanted me to the core, and that's all the matters.' He breathed, as he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me.

My arms instinctively went around his neck, and his hands trailed a path down from my shoulders to my waist, pushing me further against the wall. He was pressed so tightly against me that I could hardly breathe. But I didn't care.

My every sense was filled with him. His tongue probed my lips until I opened for him, and he groaned in approval. I clung to him as the beautiful playing of the orchestra began to drift around the room. His hands dared to travel lower than my waist, to my hips as he released my lips and placed his own on my neck.

'We…We should…' I gasped, breathlessly, 'Get back…to the ball.'

James didn't respond for a moment, and continued to kiss my neck.

'Must we?' He asked, the vibrations moving through my skin.

I tried to nod, but James brought his head up so he could kiss the skin just under my ear, making it impossible to nod without my chin colliding with his head. So, I tilted my head back, and gave him better access to the spot he craved to be at, and gasped when his lips pressed against the sensitive spot. His fingers tightened at my hips when he heard my gasp; I could still feel them through the layers of silk.

I lost track of the amount of time we spent in that room, but it wasn't longer than a single dance. Eventually, I pushed James backward, allowing some air to enter my lungs, and told him to stop. He obeyed instantly as we both tried to catch our breath.

'We need… to go back.' I told him, straightening my gown, and smoothing down my hair. 'We can do that at home. We're here to see our friends.'

James pouted a little, but then grinned at me.

'Oh, I plan on doing more than that at home.' He told me, and I felt the blood rush to my face. Although I was no longer a maiden, I still wasn't quite used to not blushing when it came to mentions of…that.

The final chords of the music played, and I finally looked fairly presentable. James on the other hand, did not. He was trying his best to sort himself out, but he needed more time. So, I walked over, and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek.

'I'm going to go and save Alexander from solitude.' I teased.

'I'll be out shortly.' James said, smoothing his hair down, as I had ruffled it quite a bit.

I kissed his forehead, and then moved and unlocked the door, before opening it and slipping back out into the celebration, with a rather smug smile on my face.

This was certainly going to be an interesting night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen.**

The Ball was in full swing when I returned. People filled the floor as gentlemen sought out their next dance partner.

I spotted Ella and Christopher in the middle of the crowd, being polite to their guests and making small talk. Antony had found a group of people to talk with, and I spied Lord Edward and Lady Annette on the edge of the room, talking amongst themselves, no doubt about what they knew about us.

But I took off in the opposite direction, towards my family. Alexander, Clara and Daniel were stood by the far wall, watching the dancing.

'And where did you disappear off to?' Daniel asked as I approached.

'Just to the other room. I wanted to thank Lady Annette.' I told them. Daniel only raised his eyebrows at me, and it was clear he didn't believe a word.

'And where's James?' Alexander asked, glancing behind me.

'He just went to relieve himself.' I lied, not wishing to explain what we had just been doing.

The orchestra began to play a few starting notes, and Clara began to look around anxiously. No young man had asked her to dance yet. Even though it was only the second dance of the night, it was obvious that she was already feeling left out. So, I elbowed Daniel in the rib and gestured to Clara.

Daniel huffed and turned to our sister.

'Shall we try and get you noticed?' He asked, offering his hand to her. Clara smiled, and they walked into the center of the room to join in the dancing.

'Do you not want to dance?' I asked Alexander, as we both stood watching Daniel and Clara.

'Not really. Maybe if a minuet starts, I was beginning to get rather good at that.' He informed me.

'You were good at the waltz as well.'

'Yes, but that would involve me having to find a partner who wants to dance with me. I'd have to talk to someone.'

'They'll be someone.' I told him, nudging him slightly.

'So, what did Lord Edward want?' He asked, his eyes still fixed on the dancers who were now all bowing or curtseying to their partners.

'He knew about our connection to Bla- Bianca.' I corrected myself. It still felt a little odd not calling her Blanche.

'Oh.'

'But, it was fine. Lady Annette seemed to believe my version of events, and I've got a feeling she's more than willing to convince her husband round to our way of thinking.' I told him with a grin. They were still on the far side of the ballroom, talking and laughing amongst themselves. I wondered how long it had been since they had been able to do that. If what Ella had told me was true about them, then they must have spent weeks worrying about their newborn son, as Ella had said the Faerie had tried to take him from them. But now, it was all over, for all of us, and we could finally begin to live again.

Just then, the main doors opened, and a group of ladies entered the room. There must have been about five or six of them, and they all seemed to be giggling and chatting amongst themselves, polite smiles plastered to their faces.

I turned back to the dancers, as it was only a group of highborn women. None of the dancers even noticed, hardly anyone turning their heads.

Daniel spun Clara around, and Clara held her head high, smiling at all around her. She was having a wonderful time, dancing at her very first ball. I also noticed that several young men were watching my sister dance as well, and I made a mental note of their faces of who to keep an eye out for. Some of them looked a little too eager for my peace of mind, but I knew Daniel was with her, and he would never let anything bad happen to her.

Something brushed past my shoulder, and I glanced to look at it.

Alexander had step passed me, his jacket brushing against my arm. However, his gaze was fixed solely on the staircase in front of him.

I stared at my brother; his eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, and his entire being seemed to be captivated by whatever he was looking at.

Or should I say, whoever he was looking at.

I followed my brothers line of sight, and saw he was staring at the group of highborn ladies who had just joined the celebration. Most of them were most of the way down the staircase, but one lagged behind.

This one, was not talking and giggling like the other ladies. She was not batting her eyelids at the men present, or walking with an air of confidence.

No, this lady looked like she wanted to shrink into the wall and never be seen.

Even her dress added to the impression. While all the other ladies of the group were wearing bright or pastel colours, this lady was wearing a fine gown of darkest green, which matched wonderfully with her bright red hair.

'Who is she?' I heard Alexander breathe, still staring at the girl.

He looked utterly entranced by the being in front of him. She might as well have been an angel or a deity and he could not have been more in awe of her.

To me, I almost found it comical. My brother was completely captivated by a girl he had never met or seen before.

I glanced back to the lady, and noted how young she was. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, and didn't look that much older than Clara. Her flaming red hair was left unbraided down her back, and part of it fell over her face, as if she was trying to hide behind it.

She was pretty, I would admit that. Her pale skin unblemished and smooth, and her features were pleasing. Although, there was something about the sharp angles to her face that seemed oddly familiar. A little too familiar.

The group reached the bottom of the staircase, and the group of ladies took off to find the largest group of gentlemen they could, but the red haired girl split off, and moved to the far side of the room, and found an empty chair.

Alexander still was staring at her like he had seen an angel descend from the heavens.

'Alexander?' I asked, shaking him a little. He didn't respond.

'Alexander! Wake up!' I told him, a little louder. At that, he seemed to jump out of his trance.

'Who is she?' He asked again, glancing towards me.

'Do you mean the red haired girl? I have no idea.' I told him.

My brother turned back to look at the girl, and released a small sigh.

Never before, had I seen anything like this. And especially not with Alexander. He'd never shown any interest in girls before, it had always been Daniel.

'Go and talk to her!' I urged him, and that seemed to snap him out of his daze.

'No, I can't.' He complained, shaking his head.

'Yes you can. Go and ask her name, or ask her to dance, or something. I'm not staying here with you if you're going to spend the entire time looking at her.' I told him firmly, giving him a push away.

He turned to protest, but I only pushed harder and cried 'Go!'

At that, Alexander took a deep breath and straightened his jacket, before stepping forward and making his way over to the mysterious girl.

'There-' Came a voice from behind me, but I waved my hand and whispered 'Shh.'

My gaze was focused on my brother as he got ever closer to the girl.

'What is it?' Ella said, stepping beside me.

'Alexander likes that girl!' I almost squealed, pointing to the red haired girl, who was still sat on her own, looking around nervously.

Ella craned her neck to try and see who I was pointing at. When she saw her, she gasped.

Alexander had made his way over to her, and she turned to look at him. We couldn't hear what was being said, but we watched her face as they talked.

'Do you know who that is?' Ella whispered excitedly, making it clear she knew exactly who the young lady was.

'No, who is she? Tell me!' I demanded.

'She is one of the most important girls in the country.' Ella explained. 'That, is Duchess Knox's stepdaughter.'

I visibly jumped with shock.

'That, is Lady Scarlett Knox, heir to the Knox Dukedom.' Ella said.

My jaw dropped.

That girl, was Bianca's sister.

That was Scarlett!

The sister she had been forced to abandon when she was still a child, the only remaining member of Bianca's family.

And Alexander was talking with her!

I couldn't believe after all these years; I was finally seeing the sister Bianca cared for so deeply.

That timid, shy girl.

And she had completely entranced Alexander.

Then, another thought clanged through me, and my hand flew to my pocket.

Pulling out the piece of paper Lady Annette had handed me not moments ago, I unfolded it quickly; my gaze falling to those four words.

 ** _Alexander Brown (Sq)-Scarlett Knox._**

I gasped in shock.

He had known.

The faerie had known they would meet.

He had predicted it, and written it down.

'Oh look, he's sitting beside her.' Ella cooed, her attention still fixed on my brother and Scarlett.

I still couldn't believe it.

Bianca's sister.

That was her, in the same room as me, talking to my brother.

And Alexander was certainly entranced by her.

So, did that mean…

Was the line connecting them…

Could it be?

My brother and Bianca's sister?

What?

A million questions flew through my mind as I tried to comprehend it.

The current dance ended, and the dancers all rejoined the crowd, temporarily shielding Alexander and Lady Scarlett from our view.

'Oh…my…goodness.' I managed to utter, as I turned to Ella.

'What is it?' She asked.

'Alexander likes a girl!' I cried. 'He actually likes a girl!'

'Well, she's not just any girl.' Ella said. 'She been very important, ever since that horrid time with her sister.'

I blinked in surprise, and then it came to me how Ella couldn't possibly know about Bianca's innocence. I had never mentioned her; only James and my family knew.

'Alexander is actually talking to her!' I said, not quite sure I was believing it.

'Anyway, we should stop watching them, or they're going to start to get suspicious.' Ella reasoned, looping her arm through mine. 'And I have people I want to introduce you to.'

I gave her a confused look.

'You want to introduce me to highborns? Me, the lowborn ex-servant.'

'I just don't want to have to talk to them alone.' She admitted. 'I have to, to be polite, but I don't want to go alone. Please come with me.' She begged.

I sighed and nodded. I really could not deny her anything.

We moved away from our place against the wall, and made our way into the crowd. Through the gaps between people, I vaguely managed to see Clara talking with a young man, a large smile on her face. I just hoped Daniel was nearby. She would be fine, but I wanted him close by, simply for my own peace of mind.

Then, I finally saw our destination.

The group of highborn women who had entered with Lady Scarlett were stood directly in front of us, still giggling amongst themselves.

'Oh, Lady Ella!' One of them cooed, waving to her.

She took a deep breath and moved to embrace the woman, dragging me along with her

'Lady Imogen, how lovely to see you again.' Ella greeted her. Then she stepped back, and I was able to see the face of the woman.

I almost jumped back in shock.

The woman before me was familiar, although I hadn't seen her in years. Her raven black hair had been intricately styled on top of her head, and her blood red silk gown was pulled in so tightly at her waist, it was a miracle she was still standing.

But I recognized her none the less.

This woman had been at Ella's wedding, and was one of the reasons I had been so upset that day. She was the woman I had found James flirting with just after he had told me about the behaviour of Ella's stepmother. I had seen her laughing with him, and batting her eyelids at him. At my husband.

'Lady Margaret, you look lovely my dear.' Ella said to the next woman. And so she went around the circle, greeting each woman. I noted their names, Imogen, Margaret, Caroline, Madeline and Rosalind.

'And who is this?' Lady Margaret asked, gesturing to me.

'This is my good friend, Lady Marion.' Ella told them. I gave them a slight bow of my head in greeting.

None of them gave me one in return.

'It's lovely to meet you all.' I told them.

'Good friend, my lady?' Lady Imogen asked Ella. 'Then why have we never seen her before? Have you been hidden away somewhere?'

'No, I have simply been busy.' I replied for myself. 'I've known Ella for many years.'

Some of the ladies seemed a little shocked that I did not address Ella as a Lady. I couldn't care less.

'How many years exactly?' Lady Imogen asked. 'Lady Ella was only married two years ago.'

'Six,' I told them. 'I was her bridesmaid.'

'You?' Lady Caroline asked. 'Were you the low born one? We've already met Jaqueline.'

'Yes.' I told them bluntly. Several of them began to look uncomfortable.

But I didn't lose my nerve. I had just as much right to be there as they did, more even. I was Ella's close friend.

'So, you were…Lady Ella's servant?' Lady Imogen asked.

'I was a housemaid in her father's house for a time. But Ella was my friend throughout all my time there.' I told them.

Ella nodded in agreement.

'A housemaid? And now a lady?' Lady Margaret asked skeptically.

'Yes. I recently married.' I said, glancing down to my wedding ring.

'And who exactly-' Lady Caroline asked, but she was cut off by Lady Imogen.

'Oh, there you are! Over here!' She cried at someone behind me.

I heard footsteps approach me, and then a familiar voice said. 'So this is where you've been hiding.'

I glanced up to see James with his usual smug grin gracing his face.

'James, allow us to introduce our new friend, Lady Marion.' Lady Imogen said.

I did not care for the way she said James's name with such familiarity, but I had to bit my lip at her statement.

James chuckled a little.

'Forgive me, Lady Imogen, but I am already well acquainted with Marion.' He told her.

Lady Imogen looked taken aback for a moment, and then something seemed to settle in her.

'Of course, you must have met at Lady Ella's wedding, if you were a bridesmaid.' She explained.

I had to fight the urge to laugh at her.

'Well, we know each other a little better than that.' James informed her, smirking.

Lady Imogen glanced between the two of us, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

'I'm Lady Marion Thorne.' I explained.

Lady Imogen and several of the other ladies froze.

Her mouth fell open just an inch as she looked like someone had just slapped her in the face.

Then, she seemed to pull herself out of her shock, and smiled at James.

'Why, James, you never told me you had a cousin who got married recently.' She said, with a hint of condescension in her tone of voice.

I had to bit the inside of my cheek to stop from completely losing my demeanor.

James shook his head, his grin still on his face.

'No, I don't. Marion is my wife.' He explained.

I couldn't help but feel a little pride when he spoke those words.

All the colour drained from Lady Imogen's face. The other ladies looked equally as shocked.

No one spoke for a few moments.

A few long moments.

And then finally, Lady Imogen managed to find the ability to speak.

'How?...When?...' She asked, glaring at me.

'We were married in May.' James told her. 'So, it been…almost four months now.'

'But…' Lady Imogen protested.

'Why weren't we informed?' Lady Caroline demanded, and I was taken aback by her question.

'We've been busy.' James told her. 'And last I knew, Joseph and I were not exactly on speaking terms.'

Lady Caroline scowled.

'We should have been told! It concerns us.' She told him.

'You know now.' James told her.

'Why would it concern you?' I asked Lady Caroline, not caring if I seemed rude.

'Ah, Marion, I haven't introduced you to my family have I?' James said.

'Your family?' I asked, shocked. I had thought that he had no family left. He had no siblings or parents, and had never mentioned any other family members.

'Distant family. Caroline here,' He said, gesturing to the Lady,' Is my cousin Joseph's wife. Well, second cousin. He's currently my heir, despite being older than me.'

I glanced back to Lady Caroline.

Oh.

That's why she was mad at me. At us.

If James was now married, then he could produce an heir soon, and replace them as the future owner of his estate.

Regardless of the fact I didn't want children just yet, I was still a threat to them, and to their attempt to acquire more wealth than they already seemed to own. Lady Caroline's dress and jewels were testament to that.

'You married…a servant?' Lady Imogen said, in disgust.

'Well, I was actually a seamstress up until recently.' I informed her.

Lady Imogen glared at me, and opened her mouth to speak, but James quickly said 'Imogen, why don't you come with me, and we'll get you a glass of wine. You look a little pale.'

He stepped forward and took her hand, and a horrid spike of jealously stabbed me. I was about to protest, when I saw James gestured discreetly for me to drop the subject. He escorted her away from the group, leaving me with Ella and the other four ladies.

'It's such a shame. Poor Imogen.' Lady Rosalind said.

I was taken aback as to quite how rude these women were. I was stood right in front of them!

'Excuse me?' I asked, unable to quite believe what I was hearing. Ella placed her hand gently on my arm, but I ignored her.

'Oh, I don't mean any offence dear.' Lady Rosalind said, condescendingly. 'But, Imogen and James, they've always had…a spark, and Imogen was ever so excited to see him tonight. It will just be hard for her, that's all.'

She didn't have to speak the next words, but we all knew what she meant.

 _It's a shame that he married a servant and not Lady Imogen. She should have been his wife._

I tried to cool my temper.

I really did try.

Who were they to decide that just because I had worked hard all my life, that I was not worthy enough for James?

'Or, maybe it won't be.' Lady Margaret told us, with a sly smile.

I followed her eye line over my shoulder, to where the table full of glasses was, and spied James and Lady Imogen, talking quietly amongst themselves. Lady Imogen's back was turned to me, but I could see James's face, as plain as day.

And he was smiling.

He was smiling at Lady Imogen.

My heart froze at the sight of it.

James, was smiling at another lady, one who had just been rude and unkind to me.

My stomach seemed to drop at the sight of it.

'Oh dear, have we said something we shouldn't have?' Lady Margaret teased.

'Marion, it might not-' Ella assured me, but I turned away from the sight of my husband to the ladies.

'Of course not.' I told them, trying my best to keep my emotions under control. 'After all, you don't know any better.'

And with that, I turned and walk away, not looking back to see the shocked expressions on their faces.

Luckily, the dancing had just finished, and people blocked the path behind me and prevented any of them following me.

I could still see James and Lady Imogen out of the corner of my eye, but I had no desire to approach them. I knew if I did, it may not end pleasantly. I needed time, to calm myself.

Nothing had happened. James was simply talking to a woman. There was nothing wrong with that. I was his wife, not his jailer. It just annoyed me that he was laughing with a woman who had clearly wished me ill.

I had no reason to be jealous, just as I had no reason to be jealous the first time I had caught them laughing with each other.

Well. Maybe I did have more reason now. After all, I was his wife. I wasn't before.

Taking a deep breath, I tried my absolute hardest to control my temper. I could almost hear my father chuckling beside me, telling me that I was too feisty to let James get away with anything like that. He had told me that in this very room. Over two years ago.

How much had changed since that day.

But clearly, things hadn't changed between James and Imogen, that much was clear by the laughter I could hear from across the room.

Jealousy was not a pleasant emotion. And I hated feeling like this. A slightly lump rose in my throat.

I had to simply keep reminding myself I had no cause. James had not done anything wrong. He was simply talking to her.

My feet found they knew where they were going before my head did.

I discovered my destination only moments before I arrived, as I was too distracted to notice. Passing the last few people in the crowd, I made it to the side of the room, and stopped in front of one familiar, and one unfamiliar face.

Alexander didn't even turn in my direction when I stopped. But Lady Scarlett did. She looked up, a little shocked, and in confusion.

'Alexander, aren't you going to introduce me to your companion?' I asked.

At that, my brother snapped his head around to look at me.

'Oh, Arry! It's only you.' He sighed, with a large grin on his face.

Never before had I seen such an expression on Alexander's face. I'd seen him smile and laugh and grin, but I'd never such a light in his eyes. It was like a glint, a spark, a flame. My brother's face was familiar to me, but not that.

I simply gestured to the lady beside him, and she shyly averted her gaze.

'Arry, would you believe this? This is Scar- I mean Lady Scarlett Knox!' He told me. I only beamed at her.

'Scarlett, this is my sister, Marion.' He said, turning back to her.

She raised her eyes to me, and I was met with those familiar hazel eyes that I had seen so many times in Bianca's face. Now I could see her up close, she did bear a certain resemblance to her sister. The face shape was the same, and the nose. But, the flaming red hair could not have been more different from Bianca's raven black.

'Pleased you meet you.' She said quietly but politely. 'Alex has told me so much about you.'

I had to take a moment to contain my surprise.

Alex?

He hated that name. He never let anyone call him Alex. Not me, or any of our siblings, or even James.

Yet, this girl he had just met had called him that. And he didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest.

'Oh dear, what has he said?' I asked.

'All good things. I promise.' She told me. Her voice was higher than her sister's, but there was still the same tone to it.

'May I ask what precisely?' I enquired.

'Only that you are his older sister, and that you're married to Sir Thorne.' She said. 'And he's been explaining who your siblings are.'

I smirked a little, and asked if I could take a seat beside her. She nodded, and I perched on the edge of the seat.

'Speaking of siblings,' I began, lowering my tone of voice so no one could over hear us. 'What about you.'

Scarlett seemed to panic a little, and she looked back to the floor.

'No, I don't have any siblings.' She said quietly.

Both Alexander and I glanced at each other in knowing.

'That's a shame.' I told her. 'Because Bianca spoke so highly of you.'

At that, Scarlett snapped her head to stare at me.

'What?' She breathed. Then she turned to Alexander. He nodded kindly at her.

'She's alive?' Scarlett whispered excitedly.

'Very much so. I don't think I've ever see someone as alive.' Alexander told her.

'How…Why…'

'Shall we find somewhere more private? I'll tell you everything.' Alexander said.

Scarlett nodded, meeting my brothers gaze, and the three of us stood and made our way to the drawing room James, Lord Edward, Lady Annette and I had been in not long before. Scarlett was unable to keep the smile off her face.

I closed the door behind us, and held back for just a moment as Alexander led Scarlett into the room, his own face with a large smile on it. He still looked as entranced by her as he had been the moment he caught sight of her on the stairs. And there was something in the way she looked at him too that made me think that the feeling wasn't entirely one sided.

Taking a quick look of the room to make sure no one was around, I moved one of the few candlesticks so it was on the table, shedding some much needed light into the room.

'How is Bianca alive? After all this time.' Scarlett exclaimed.

'She's been hiding in the forest, stealing from rich highborns and giving to those in need.' I told her.

Scarlett scoffed.

'Like Robin Hood.'

'Like Robin Hood-'

Both she and Alexander spoke at the same time, and they laughed a little together as they turned to each other in surprise.

I simply sat and waited for them to turn their attention back to me. I wasn't going to interrupt them, if what I thought was happened, was in fact happening.

'Yes, she is rather.' I said.

'How do you know her? And when did you see her last?' Scarlett asked.

'We saw her less than a month ago.' Alexander told her.' She visited us at Thorne Manor.'

Scarlett almost seemed to be laughing with joy.

'I met Bla-Bianca two years ago, on the road to Milton through the forest. She tried to rob me.' I told Scarlett.

'Then, how-'

'She didn't, in the end. She knew I was a lowborn, and let me go. She even accompanied me on my journey to Milton. We became good friends, meeting when I went back home to Rault.'

Scarlett covered her face with her hands.

'Bianca's alive. And well. I simply can't believe it!' She exclaimed.

'She told us of you. She misses you.' I told her.

Scarlett let out a ragged breath. 'I miss her too. I haven't seen her in four years. But Nerissa didn't kill her. I thought-'

She didn't need to finish the sentence for both of us to know what she thought.

'She's been captured once. About four months ago. But she escaped, relatively unharmed.' I said.

'Relatively?' She asked, shocked.

'She was slightly injured, but she's recovered now.' I assured her. 'And it certainly didn't stop her from threatening to run James through for marrying me.'

'Whose James?' She asked.

'Sir Thorne. She didn't exactly approve of the wedding.' Alexander explained.

'Why?'

'It's a long story. And I think I'll let Alexander tell it. I'm going to rejoin the dancing.' I said, standing up.

Scarlett stood too.

'I just wanted to let you know, Bianca is one of the best women I know, and one of my closest friends. And I know she misses you very much, and wishes nothing else for the Duchess to be removed so she can go home. And I know she's going to fight until she wins.'

Scarlett nodded at me, and I noted a small trace of silver in her hazel eyes, from where tears were forming.

Alexander stood, looking concerned for Scarlett. It felt so strange to see my brother like this.

But I just nodded to Lady Scarlett, and then left the room, closing the door behind me, leaving Alexander and Scarlett in the room alone. I knew that neither of them particularly wanted my company at that moment. There was definitely something happening between them, and they didn't need a nosy older sister intruding.

Sighing, I slumped back against the door slightly, as I scanned the room for a familiar face. Clara was in the center of the room, dancing with a young man, beaming widely. Daniel was also dancing, with a young woman in a pink dress, no doubt trying out his charms on her.

But one group caught my eye first. A woman in a bright red silk dress and raven hair still talking to a man with lovely green eyes and dark brown hair. They were still talking with each other.

My jealously spiked again. And this time, I felt justified. Not only had they been talking the entire time I was speaking with Alexander and Scarlett, but now, I could see Imogen's hand resting on James's arm. And he was still damn smiling.

Her hand was resting on my husband's arm.

My husband.

And he was smiling.

I could feel my anger rising, and tried my best to suppress it. There was nothing to get upset over. James was simply being polite, that's all. There was nothing more to it, than politeness.

That was what I told myself.

But even my heart knew it not to be true.

Which is why I couldn't stop myself from heading in that direction. Breathing deeply, I approached the two people who had captured my attention, but took an indirect route to them, keeping behind other people to hide my gown.

Finally making it to the far wall, I was in earshot of their conversation, and I eagerly listened in.

'Your friend seems to have made quite a name for himself. Future Prince consort!' Lady Imogen said in a voice that made me want to slap her.

'Yes. Philip has shocked us all with that announcement.' James told her.

'To think, you'll be good friends with the future king.'

'All in good time.' James said, taking a sip of his wine.

'And surely, as someone connected with royalty, you must have breeding and manners fit for the royal court.' She told him. 'And all members of your family.'

My anger flared and I had to bite my lip to keep from saying anything.

'That won't be a problem.' He said, and I was about to smile when I saw him reach over and place his hand on top of hers.

My heart almost stopped.

I thought I knew what his words meant, but clearly I misunderstood.

James needed breeding and status to be a success at the royal court. And my family had anything but that.

It was a problem, and we all knew it. So, if what James said was true…

Then did he mean to displace us?

Or more specifically, replace me.

It would be easy for him, to be rid of me. I had no money, no real power. Even with our marriage consummated, I was still a lowborn, and he could make me leave with very little trouble.

The lump rose in my throat again.

I thought we were happy.

I thought we were in love.

I was in love with him, that was certain.

But what if he wasn't as in love with me as I had thought?

What if he did mean to replace me?

Tears stung the edges of my eyes.

Fighting to keep my temper under control, I leaned closer to their conversation, desperate to learn exactly what he meant.

'What a time you will have at the royal court! Dancing and drinking away your days, doing as you please. With whoever you please.' She cooed.

'Oh, I'm sure I will enjoy my time with the people of my choosing.' James smirked, still not taking his hand off hers.

And at that moment, I could have sworn I heard my heart break, just a little.

Lady Margaret had said that James and Imogen had always had a spark. And she had clearly harbored hopes to marry him before our marriage. So maybe, the people of James's choosing were the people here, like Lady Imogen.

Not me.

Not lowborn, plain me.

He wanted to be here, amongst people of his own class.

And not me.

He wanted her, and not me.

It made sense. She was beautiful, she was his social equal. She hadn't been cursed, or had a family to provide for. She had money and breeding, and all the manners of a highborn.

I didn't.

And James wanted her.

He didn't love me.

He wanted her.

The first tear slid down my cheek, and I had to move away in case they saw me.

But utter despair filled me.

Fighting to keep my tears down, I moved away from the wall and towards the open doors at the back of the ballroom, leading to the gardens.

Several people were walking around the grounds in the pale light of the late evening, but I ignored them, and kept moving. Round the corner, to the edge of the balcony and down until I found a column to hide behind.

Slumping against it, the tears finally broke free of their restraint.

James didn't want me.

He preferred Imogen. Just as he had all those years ago at Ella's wedding when I had found them in the exact same position as they were now.

These past months, we had been in a dream. A dream of new love. But now, we had woken up to the real world.

He had woken up.

This was not a place where highborns could marry servants just to be kind. Where highborns married servants for any reason.

I could hardly breathe.

Everything that we had been, everything I had thought, was now crumbling before me, and I was powerless to stop it.

Sobs wracked my chest.

I loved him. I truly did.

But it wasn't returned.

He didn't love me. I'd had his love for three brief months, and now it was gone.

Tears continued to fall, and my chest felt a little like it was going to cave in.

So much for love.

Look where it had left me.

All alone. Crying at a ball.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

James wanted someone else.

And that was all there was to it.

I was alone.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, I finally had calmed down enough to look vaguely presentable and felt strong enough to rejoin the celebration.

There was still an emptiness inside of me. The remnants of my shattered heart.

I was still upset, however, it was not the overwhelming emotion that governed me at that moment.

No, that was anger.

Anger towards Lady Imogen for making me feel small and inferior. Anger for taking my husband away from me.

And anger towards James.

For the lies, for making me believe that he cared for me, when clearly he didn't. Anger for making me love him, and to not have it returned.

Dabbing the corner of my eye, I straightened my spine, and held my head high. I was not going to spend the entire ball crying alone. I had friends, I had a family. I was not alone, and I was here to enjoy myself, and celebrate Ella's birthday.

They had no right to make me feel this way. And I was not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me brought so low.

With one last sigh, I began to walk back into the Ball room, with as much grace and dignity that I could muster.

The dancing was still in the throes of life, as people waltzed before me. I spotted Clara's lovely coral dress almost immediately, in the arms of a handsome young man. She seemed swept up in a dream, twirling and spinning around the room with him. I knew she was more in love in the idea of the fantasy, rather than the man in front of her.

Daniel was there too, this time with a lady in a blue gown. His charms had already worked on two girls at least. He looked like a natural dancer, in his dashing new jacket.

And just next to Daniel, was two people who I knew were more entranced with each other than the dance.

Alexander held Lady Scarlett in his arms as they waltzed in their own little world. My brother's gaze seemed fixed on her, and hers was fixed just as much on him. Even his dancing had improved, which was a small miracle in itself.

But, my attention was drawn away to the rest of the room, as I searched for the two people who had made me miserable.

And found…

They were not there.

They had vanished. Both of them.

They had gone together.

And at that moment, the last piece of my heart shattered in my chest, as my hope died.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen.**

'Marion, where have you been?'

Whirling around, I found myself face to face with Antony, who was smiling kindly at me.

'I've just…just…'

Antony swayed a little on his feet, and it was obvious he had been drinking a little.

'You missed the party!' He said.

'No I haven't. Look, it's still happening.' I told him, gesturing to all the people still dancing in front of us.

'Well, come. We must have you dance!' He cried, offering his hand clumsily.

I pretended to laugh a little, but shook my head.

'It's quite alright, Antony.'

'No! We must have you dance! You can't go to a ball and not dance!' He insisted. 'And James will run me through if he thinks I'm neglecting his wife.'

At the mention of his name, I felt my stomach twist, and I muttered under my breath, 'I don't think he'd care.'

'What was that?' Antony asked, leaning forward a bit.

'Nothing.' I replied, plastering a smile on my face.

'Come on Lady Marion. It's a ball. Enjoy the dancing.' Antony said quietly. 'And besides, it would be nice to dance with a lady I know isn't after me for my connection to Philip. There's been enough of them tonight.'

Antony did look genuine in his offer, so I reached forward and took his hand.

'Fine.' I said, and he escorted me into the crowd.

We took our places, and I curtsied as he bowed. Then, his arm slid around my waist and my hand gripped his shoulder, and we were off.

'Have they been so terrible?' I asked him, as we waltzed around.

Antony scoffed.

'I'm the last member of our friendship group that is still unmarried, therefore, I'm the prize target.'

'Surely it's nice to be the center of attention, for a little while.' I argued.

'It was at first. But now I see why Christopher and Philip hated it so much. And I've only had to deal with it for one evening. James is lucky he's already married and doesn't have ladies chasing him.'

As soon as Antony said that, my anger flared again, as well as my sadness.

My hand must have tightened at that, as Antony looked down at me, with a concerned expression.

'Is something the matter Marion?'

'No.' I said quickly.

'That doesn't sound like the truth.'

I looked down, and pretended to focus on my steps.

'Marion? What's the matter?' He asked.

All the thoughts about James came flooding back to me as soon as Antony asked that. I could almost feel the blood leaving my face and the lump rising in my throat.

'I don't…I don't think…that James sees himself as lucky.'

Antony scoffed again.

'How could he not?' He asked. 'If he had to deal with all those…shallow women, he would hate it as much as I do.'

Now it was my turn to scoff at that.

The orchestra played the final few notes and we stopped waltzing.

Antony escorted me out of the crowd.

'I've known James for a while, and he would hate it. And besides, the two of you are happily married.'

I had to avert my gaze again.

Were we happily married? We were still married, at least that was true. But if James really did prefer Imogen over me, then how long would that actually remain true?

'Oh…What happened?' Antony asked.

'Nothing.'

'Oh please!' He said, and took an unsteady step. The wine was really starting to hit him now. 'I may not be married, but I can tell when something happens.'

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

'What do you know of Lady Imogen?' I asked, terrified of the answer.

Antony sighed.

'Ah, so that's the problem.'

'What do you know about her? And about her and James.'

Antony dropped his arm, and turned to face me.

'I'm guessing she's made an attempt to grab him, again?'

I loosed a ragged breath.

'Not so much an attempt to grab him, but more like a success. And not one she initiated.' I told him.

'James started it?' Antony exclaimed.

'He took her to get a glass of wine, and they haven't left each-others side since then.' I explained.

'Where is he? I need to have a word with him.'

Gesturing around I said 'Gone. They've gone somewhere together.'

At that, I had to take in a ragged breath.

'They've gone, because he prefers her over me.' I admitted, feeling the tears prick my eyes once more.

'No, Marion. I'm sure that's not true.'

'I heard him. He said it himself.'

I was now fighting to keep the tears at bay. Telling someone else now made it seem more real than it had before. James didn't love me. He preferred someone else.

'Marion, look at me.' Antony asked, placing a gentle finger under my chin and lifting my head. I did so.

'I've known James for a long time. He's one of my closest friends. And I know that he can be an arrogant bastard sometimes. But I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as he's been when he's with you. You're his wife, and I know that he loves you. This will all be some big misunderstanding.' He told me.

I shook my head.

'Then why has he disappeared with someone else?' I asked, blinking away the tears.

'Don't worry. I intend to get to the bottom of this. I'm going to find Christopher; he can always talk sense into James. And if not, Philip might not be the only member of our group I'm going to be smacking over the back of the head. '

I huffed a laugh.

'I went with them, to find Philip, remember. That week after his birthday. And all he could talk about that week was you. I thought Christopher was bad enough with Ella, but James was possibly even worse. You couldn't even speak to him, and yet he seemed to have hours-worth of things to say about you. And if I learnt anything about you in that week, is that you are one of the strongest women we've ever known!'

I almost scoffed at him, but he shook his head.

'Stars above! You stayed completely silent for months to free your family! You kept them alive when your village turned against you. You married James because it would help them, which to me was one of the bravest things, as James is not an easy man to live with. And after all of that, you've come out smiling. So you shouldn't let a small thing like this misunderstanding get you down.'

A small smile began to form on my face, despite my foul mood. Antony only nodded at me.

'I'll go and find Christopher, who also seems to have disappeared, and then we'll get to the bottom of this. Now, you are at a ball, so I must insist you enjoy the dancing. Sir Edmund!' He called to a man stood close by.

The man turned around in surprise.

'This is Lady Thorne, and she is without a dance partner for the minuet.' Antony told him, handing me over to him.

'My lady, would you do me the honour?' Sir Edmund asked.

'Yes, of course.' I told him, taking his hand. Antony simply winked at me, and left to go and find Christopher.

And I knew Antony was right. It was a ball, and I should not be wasting it worrying about James. If I was going to be displaced, I should at least enjoy one of the last times I may still get to be a Lady.

Sir Edmund was an admirable dance partner, but not a very talkative one. He was polite, but our exchange never got any further than our names and how we were finding the ball.

But, despite Antony's kind words to me, the feeling of dread I was trying to suppress continued to grow.

As did my feeling of anger.

How dare James make me feel this way, at my best friend's birthday! I had come here to enjoy myself, and instead had spent far too long crying in a corner.

How dare Lady Imogen lay such a claim to him? How dare she talk down to me, like she was so much better than me?

I had worked hard my entire life, providing for my family and myself. I had toiled as a servant, and then a seamstress to ensure food was on the table. Then I had stayed silent for months to end the horrid curse they had unfairly been put under.

And what had she done?

She had batted her eyelids at men until they came crawling to her, sitting around sipping tea and wearing stupidly tight corsets, and had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Who was she to think she was so superior. Just because she could get men to come to her beck and call.

And if James preferred her, then he was welcome to spend his life as her lapdog, wasting his life paying social calls to all the nobility.

Just maybe after I'd given him hell for it. For the lies, for making me love him.

The curse was over now; we were free to go back to Rault. Our home would still be there.

The only problem would be fixing my broken heart.

I still loved James, that much was certain. And the thought of him leaving really did make my chest ache with sadness.

But, what was to be done?

I knew these questions were for a different time, when James was stood before me. Not off in some part of the castle with the lady of his choosing.

After Sir Edmund, I danced with several other gentlemen, but I didn't catch their names. Or at least, I didn't remember their names. My mind was too occupied with a man with dark brown hair, lovely green eyes, and a smug grin that I currently wanted to slap off his face.

The time at the ball passed quickly, and I hardly noticed as the orchestra drew its final few notes, and the conductor took a bow.

Many people looked around in confusion, as it was still fairly early in the evening for the dancing to cease.

But then, we all turned to the front of the ballroom, where Christopher was stood, with a pale faced Ella by his side.

And there behind him.

James.

Scanning the crowd for someone. No doubt Lady Imogen, who I spotted near the front of the crowd. She had reappeared the same time he had.

'We thank you all very much for coming tonight. And we thank you all for the wishes of good fortune to Ella on her birthday. However, much to our regret, we have decided to end the ball now, earlier than planned, due to unexpected problem. We apologise that the ball is ended, and we hope you all have a safe trip home. Those of you staying are welcome to use the ballroom, or retire for the night. We're very sorry for this.'

The crowd began to mumble, as lords and ladies turned to each other, shocked by the announcement.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James stare at me, and begin to smile. I looked away immediately. My anger at him had not died down. Clara and Daniel managed to make their way across to me, and started asking about what our plans were. We all knew we were not staying the night, having already arranged the carriage to take us back to Thorne manor. I told them to ask James.

But, at the side of the room, I spotted a lovely red haired girl, still talking with Alexander. Both of them seemed saddened by the thought of the ball ending early, and I saw Alexander take her hand and press a soft kiss to the back of it.

My heart wanted to cleave in two at that sight. That was what James used to do to me. What he had no doubt done to Lady Imogen tonight.

'Arry? Are you alright?' Daniel asked, and I snapped out of my daze.

'Yes. I'm just tired, that's all.' I said, yawning for extra emphasis.

'We should get back to the carriage then. You can fall asleep on the journey back.' Daniel said. 'And I think you might as well.' He said to Clara.

'Maybe I am a little tired.' She conceded.

'I'll say. You danced almost every dance!' He exclaimed. 'Oh look, James is calling us over.'

I had to turn and see James gesturing us to come over to him, still smiling.

The sight of it made my blood boil.

He had ignored me for the entire ball, gone off with another woman, and now expected me to go over to him and pretend like nothing was wrong. He was very sadly mistaken.

'You go. I'll go and grab Alexander.' I told them, already making my way over to the side of the room where they were.

I had to control this. I had to keep my temper down. No good would come of me screaming at him in the middle of a crowded ballroom.

I managed to squeeze past the people in my way and make it to Alexander and Scarlett, who didn't seem to notice my appearance.

'We will. I promise. You will see her again.' Alexander told her.

'And you?' She asked, shyly.

'Nothing would please me more.' Alexander said, not taking his eyes off her.

I coughed loudly from behind them.

They both turned to look at me.

'Arry!' Alexander exclaimed in surprise.

'As the ball's over, we're going soon. And I think your party is going as well Scarlett.'

She scowled a little at the mention of her party. I guessed she didn't like them much.

'Do you not like those ladies?' I asked.

'They're all Nerissa's simpering servants. They'll do anything for her. She only let me come tonight as long as I was with them.' She said.

'Well, I'm not particularly partial to them either.' I said.

'Then you have good taste.' She told me.

'Arry, would you give us a moment. I'll be right there.' Alexander asked me, pleading with me with his eyes.

I nodded.

'It was lovely to meet you Scarlett. I hope we see more of you in the future.' I told her.

'And I you.' She said. But then, she stepped towards me and said in the lower voice. 'When you see Bianca next, please tell her I miss her. And tell her to 'Use the birds.' She'll know what I mean.'

I didn't tell her that I also knew what she meant, but nodded in agreement.

Scarlett smiled, and then turned back to Alexander, and I left them to it. Once again, I had no business interfering with whatever was happening between the two of them.

Walking back through the crowd, I avoided the group of ladies that were approaching Scarlett, no doubt to take her back with them. No doubt that they made it their mission to keep an eye on her. She was after all, the heir apparent to the Dukedom. At least, she was currently. I had a feeling that as Nerissa had no qualms about getting rid of Bianca, I didn't doubt she would do the same to Scarlett, if it meant holding on to her power.

Lady Imogen was amongst them, and grinning like a contented cat. Her blood red dress was easy to spot amid the sea of people. I had no desire to be anywhere near her.

I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself.

So, I stayed on the edge of the crowd, and began to make my way back to Clara and Daniel.

And to the other person who was now stood with them.

James turned around, still with a wide grin on his irritatingly handsome face.

'Marion! Where have you been all night?' He asked. His tone implied he thought that nothing was wrong. That nothing had changed.

I was stunned for a short moment, but then I glanced at Daniel and Clara who clearly were oblivious to anything wrong between us. And that was how it was going to stay. I was not going to scream at him in front of my family. They had all been through enough, without listening to my marital problems.

That was for James and I to sort out. Alone.

'I've been dancing.' I said, keeping my tone under control. James looked a little confused when I let the conversation drop, but I didn't care. Instead, I began to make my way to the door, towards Ella and Christopher. Daniel, Clara and James followed me, Daniel asking where Alexander was. I simply told him that he'd be along in a minute.

Finally, we made it to where Ella and Christopher were stood by the door, saying goodbye to their guests.

'Marion! Oh, it's such a shame I hardly got to see you.' Ella cried, wrapping her arms around me.

'Where have you been all night?' I asked as she pulled back.

'Mainly running back and forth from the nursery. Jonathan been throwing up nearly all night. This stomach bug is getting worse. And Christopher's been with his father, who's in a worse state than Jonathan. That's why we've called an early end to it. Christopher told me to call off the ball before we started, but I couldn't. It's my birthday, I wanted to celebrate it!' She told me.

'Of course.' I said, although I wasn't really sure I agreed with her. If she had known Jonathan and Duke William was sick, why didn't she call off the ball?

I knew this was unreasonable, and I was just upset because I'd had a horrid time at the ball. So, I just nodded at her, and told her I hoped Jonathan would get better soon. I was sure he would, it was just a childhood illness.

She smiled a little as she turned to say goodbye to Daniel, Clara, and Alexander who had finally caught up to us, but had a dazed expression on his face. Christopher was saying goodbye to James, both of them talking in hushed tones. I guessed Antony had gotten lost or distracted on his way to find them. He'd had a fair bit of wine after all, so I couldn't really blame him.

He had tried his best to cheer me up. Antony was a good man, and a good friend.

I gave Ella one final hug, and then made my way down the hallway to the front entrance where all the carriages were waiting. I noticed as I looked back, that Alexander was looking back, hoping someone was behind him. But there was no sign of Scarlett.

There was something about the way they both had been around each other. The way Alexander was completely enchanted to the core. The way even she seemed to be in awe of him. As if it was some twist of fate.

Or work of faerie…

The note Lady Annette had given me felt heavy in my pocket. The line that connected Alexander's name and Scarlett's seemed to be more significant than ever.

It still felt so strange that she was Bianca's sister! And not only had I met her, but there was something going on between her and my brother!

But that wasn't the thing that occupied my mind at that moment. My rising anger against James and Lady Imogen showed no sign of disappearing, so I kept my gaze forward as we left the palace and entered the carriage. I sat against the far wall, and asked Daniel to sit next to me. James clearly heard this but didn't question it. Alexander sat opposite me and James next to him, as far away from me in the carriage as he could get. Clara slid in next to Daniel on his other side.

James gave me a confused look which I saw reflected in the glass window. I chose to ignore it. I was going to be stuck in a carriage with him and my brothers and sister for at least another hour. This was not the place for a confrontation, no matter how much I wanted it.

'So, how did you all enjoy the ball?' James asked as the carriage began to pull away, leaving the palace behind us.

'It was wonderful!' Clara exclaimed. 'I danced almost every dance, and there was so many young men asking me to dance with them!'

'See, I knew there would be nothing to worry about.' James told her kindly. I wanted to scowl at him, but kept my face neutral, staring out of the window.

'Well, I think I made quite success of myself. There were several young ladies who kept following me around.' Daniel boasted.

'Did you get any of their names?' I asked, raising my eyebrow at my brother.

'A few.'

'I hope you were polite.' I told him.

He pretended to look offended.

'Honestly Arry! What do you take me for?' He said, in an over exaggerated manner.

'I take you for someone who thinks very highly of their influence over girls.' I said directly.

Daniel shrugged. 'So what if I do?'

I turned back to the window before James could ask me how I enjoyed the ball. I saw his face fall in the reflection.

'And you Alexander? Did you have women falling at your feet?' James asked.

'No. But I met the most wonderful girl.' He said honestly.

The others were quiet taken aback.

'Who?' Clara asked, clearly eager to get all of the romantic details from him.

'Scarlett Knox.' He breathed. There was something about the way he said her name, almost like a prayer.

'Knox? As in Bianca's sister Scarlett?' Daniel cried.

'As in Duchess Knox's stepdaughter?' James asked.

Alexander beamed.

'Yes, that's her.' He said, his eyes glazing over just a little.

And at that moment, I realised I knew where I had seen that expression before.

Alexander had always looked like our father. He was the one who most closely resembled him, and had done for years.

And the light in his eyes was exactly the same as the light that had been in Father's eyes when Mother was alive. The light that had gone out the moment she had died. The spark he had never recovered.

Here it was, in front of me again. A spark of hope, of happiness.

And of Love.

Father had loved Mother, fiercely, and with all his heart. And it was exactly the same with Alexander.

'You met Bianca's sister?' Clara asked. 'Is that the girl you were dancing with?'

Alexander nodded, still beaming.

'Yes. Isn't she just wonderful?' He exclaimed.

Clara and Daniel immediately began asking question about her, which Alexander was more than happy to answer. It seemed like he could talk about her for hours. And he almost did.

It was clear he was floating high in the clouds as he spoke of her, and all of her many qualities. Even I had to stop listening after a while. I kept my gaze firmly out of the window, only turning to Alexander who was across from me when necessary to ask him questions.

I didn't turn to James. But I knew he turned to me. I could feel his gaze on me, and see it in the reflection of the glass. At times, he looked like he might start a conversation, to try and get my attention. But I didn't respond. I was in no mood to explain myself to him. Not until he had explained himself to me. I felt I was owed that much.

Thankfully, the other three were far too occupied with news of Scarlett to ask about why James and I were being so distant. No doubt they would find out soon, but I was no mood to discuss it in front of them at that moment.

The hour passed, and eventually I found myself leaning on Daniel shoulder as I almost fell asleep. Clara had already nodded off on his other shoulder about half way through the journey. Alexander was still talking about Scarlett, but I was almost certain no one was listening. My eyes were closed as I pretended to be asleep, but in truth, my mind was far too occupied to sleep.

I was upset, and angry. And I felt justified in that. This wasn't like the first time I had found him with Lady Imogen, when I had no claim to him. I had liked him, but there had been nothing between us to suggest I had any right to get jealous.

Now, I did.

I was his wife. He had told me he loved me. We shared a home, a life, a bed.

At that moment, I had never been more glad that I had my own private bed chamber I could retire to that night. I was in no mood to lie next to James while he dreamed of another woman. And I was glad there was a lock between to the two rooms.

Maybe this was better left to the bright light of day.

So, I kept my eyes closed as I felt the carriage begin to slow down as we rounded the final corner and made our way down the path to the manor.

Alexander and James were still awake, and I could feel my husband's gaze, even through my closed eyes. And I knew that there was no avoiding the topic when we got out of the carriage. Whether it happened tonight or tomorrow morning, there was going to be consequences to this.

At long last, the carriage pulled to a stop, and Alexander finally shut up about how perfect Scarlett was as the door was opened.

James jumped out of the carriage and began to stretch his legs a little, giving instructions to the coachman about his pay. Daniel gently shook Clara and myself awake, and I blinked in the familiar sight of Thorne manor.

My home. For how much longer?

The home that no doubt Lady Imogen coveted. And may still be mistress of.

The thought of it made my heart sink. Not that there was much left of it to sink.

Alexander hopped out of the carriage, and held his arm out to a very sleepy Clara who roused herself enough to step out of the carriage and be half carried into the house. Daniel followed her, bidding us all a good night.

And then, I saw him.

James was waiting outside the carriage, his hand extended to me.

I slid across the seats to the edge of the carriage, and picked up my dress.

Then, ignoring his outstretched hand, I got myself out of the carriage, leaving James in complete confusion.

'Marion?' He said, with a hint of worry in his voice, but I ignored him. Walking forward, I entered the house and saw Alexander, Daniel and Clara making their way up to their bedrooms, Daniel and Clara already half asleep, and Alexander no doubt still thinking about Scarlett.

Clara's room was directly next to mine, and if James wanted to speak to me, I wanted it nowhere that any of them could here.

So, instead, I bid James a good night, as he was a matter of feet behind me, and headed for the kitchen.

I needed a glass of wine. Or tea. Just something to calm me down.

Picking up my ball gown, I headed down the narrow stairs alone, struggling to keep my emotions under control.

I just made it to the bottom step when I heard footsteps behind me, and knew exactly who it was.

But instead, I headed for the pantry, and found a half empty bottle of wine. Bending down to pick it up, I turned and found James stood in the doorway staring at me. I couldn't quite tell what exact emotion was on his face, but it was not pleasant.

'Are you going to explain yourself?' He asked.

I just glared at him.

'Are you?' I retorted.

'What happened? Why are you being like this?' He asked.

That only made my blood boil.

'Why am I being like this?' I repeated, almost slamming the wine down on the table. I couldn't even form words, so I scoffed, and went to go and find a glass.

'Yes. Why are you being like this? I don't understand?' He asked, and he looked genuinely confused.

Finding a clean wine glass, I set it down and began to pour myself a large glass of the dark red liquid.

'What don't you understand? That I'm annoyed that you abandoned me for the entire ball? Or that you were off with another woman? Or that you prefer her over me, and wish to be rid of me?'

'What?' He cried, and I only lifted the glass to my lips and took a large gulp, the alcohol burning my throat just a little.

'Yes, It's such a mystery why I am annoyed.' I said sarcastically.

'Marion, where on earth did you get an idea like that?' He demanded.

'From your own mouth. I overheard you!' I almost shouted back.

'When? When did I possibly say anything like that?' He asked, his voice rising.

'Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy the time with the people of my choosing.' I mimicked his words from earlier in the evening. 'Right as you took her hand. I think that makes it very obvious who the people of your choosing are.'

'Marion, this is ridiculous.'

'Is it? I saw it, and heard it with my own eyes and ears.'

'Marion please-'

'And I just presumed it was common curtesy to tell your wife before you ran off with another woman, even if she is lowborn and penniless. Clearly I was mistaken.'

'It's not li-'

My temper was almost at boiling point now, and the tears that I thought had dried up from earlier seemed to come flooding back.

'Was it all a lie? The declaration of love, our marriage?' I demanded.

'No, of course it wasn't.' He shouted, taking a step towards me, but I retreated. I didn't believe him, not after this.

'Well, enjoy your life with Lady Imogen, the lady of your choosing.'

'Marion, stop this.' He demanded, but I didn't. I was too upset and he needed to hear it.

'I have worked my entire life to ensure my family is safe! I have toiled, and suffered and stayed silent. I have lost my parents, my friends, my home. Is that not enough? Don't I deserve a little happiness in my life? What has she ever done? She wastes her day making social calls and flirting, and yet you still prefer her!'

'I don't prefer her!' James snapped, but I shook my head.

'Your own words brand you a liar.' I told him, feeling my heart breaking with every word. The tears slipped down my face as I turned away from him, grabbed the wine glass, and started to walk towards the door.

'Marion, please stop.' He begged, stepping in front of me.

'Goodnight James.' I said, trying to push past him, sheltering the broken remains of my heart.

But instead of letting me past, James only reached forward and grabbed the wine glass out of my hand, and set it on the table.

'Marion. Stop this at once and listen.' He roared, making me step back a little.

'Why?' I cried, feeling the hot tears slip down my cheek and land on my dress.

'Because all you've just said could not be further from the truth.' He snapped. I shook my head in disbelief, and tried to turn away from him. But he placed his hands on my shoulder and pulled me back around to face him.

'Marion, I love you. Only you.'

Shaking my head, I felt a sob wrack my chest.

'I loved you. But you prefer-' I managed to utter, but James cut me off.

'If you say I prefer Imogen one more time, so help me I will wake everyone up to tell you how stupid you are being.' James threatened.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to reign in my emotions, but they were too close to the surface now. More tears slipped down my face.

'I most definitely do not prefer Imogen. In fact, I can hardly stand the woman.' He said, releasing me from his grasp a little.

'Then why-'

'Imogen can be a horrid bitch when she wants to be.' James told me. 'Especially to other women. Women she sees as threats, because they are superior to her in every way.'

He raised his hand to brush away a tear, but I jerked back out of his reach, and he retreated.

'I've seen it happen before. And she gets particularly jealous of anyone connected to me. She's been after me for years.' He explained. 'And I saw her face when we told her that you were my wife. She was livid, utterly furious. She would have torn you to shreds if she could have.'

I was shaking my head in disbelief. But James continued anyway.

'And I know her well enough that when there is someone she wants to hurt, there is no way of stopping her. She was going to hurt you; I just knew it. And the easiest way to stop her was to keep her distracted. I had to get her away from you, so I did.'

My shoulders shook from my sobs as I refused to believe what James was saying.

'You left the room with her! You held her hand!' I cried, turning away from him again.

'No, I didn't. I did hold her hand, but that was all part of the act. I had to keep her distracted so she didn't go after you and ruin your time there.'

'You ruined my time there!' I shouted, and finally plucked up the courage to push past him. Walking up the stairs, I left a bewildered James behind me as I struggled to not collapse on the floor with my sobs.

He had done this to me. He had made me this upset. Even if what he was saying was true, he still had ruined my time at the ball.

'Marion, wait.' He cried.

But I moved as quickly as I could in a ball gown, and ran up the staircase to my room. James was right behind me; I could tell by the pleas for me to slow down or stop.

Throwing open the door to my room, I ran through, but wasn't fast enough to close the door behind me before James also followed me inside.

'Marion, please just listen!' He begged. Then, without waiting for my reply, he continued.

'I'm sorry. So very sorry if I ruined your time there. I just didn't want to see you hurt by her. And I don't know what you thought about Imogen and I leaving together, that definitely isn't true.'

'I returned and you were both gone!' I argued.

'I didn't leave with her. Christopher came to talk to me, and asked me to go with him. Imogen went to powder her nose, or something else. But we definitely did not leave together.' He explained.

I just stared at him through the tears.

He hadn't gone with her.

He had been with Christopher.

'Christopher wanted to talk, and then we briefly went to see how Jonathan and Duke William were faring. Poor Jonathan is too young to know what's happening and kept screaming the entire time. But he'll be better in the morning.' James explained.

'Then where the hell was she?' I shouted.

'I have no idea! She probably went to the toilet, or to chase someone else!' He said, stepping towards me.

The tears continued to fall as I tried to comprehend what he was saying.

'Marion. Please believe me. I love you.' James told me, trying to touch my cheek.

I didn't know what to think.

'I chose my words carefully, so that Imogen would take them one way, but I didn't mean it like that! The people of my choosing is you! You and your family! I don't want her, I want you.' He said.

I was shaking my head as he said those words.

'Imogen Clifton is not worth this! She really is the worst woman I know. I…I don't prefer…Marion, please.'

There were tears in his eyes too now.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Marion. I made a bad decision, and I'm so sorry.' He repeated again and again, stepping closer to me.

'You're my wife, and I love you and only you.' He told me, as his hand finally touched my cheek. And this time, I didn't pull away. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that I didn't back away.

'Then why did you have to make me feel this way?' I asked through the tears. 'I spent far too long crying behind a pillar because I thought you were going to throw me out so you could be with her.'

'Never.' He assured me. His thumb pressed over my cheek lightly, brushing away the tears. 'Marion, no. I'm so sorry.'

The sobs that wracked my chest were beginning to die down a little as James moved closer to me.

'You're not going to replace me?' I asked weakly.

James shook his head, and leant down so his forehead was resting against my own. Then, he tilted my head up and pressed his lips to mine. James's kiss left me in no doubt of his affection.

'I love you. You, Marion Thorne. Only you.' He murmured against my lips, before pressing against them with more force. His hand tightened on my face as he deepened the kiss. Tears still seemed to stream down my face, as my hands found their way to his waist, clinging to him.

He loved me. He really did love me.

Poor, lowborn, plain me.

He wasn't going to leave, wasn't going to replace me.

'I'm so sorry.' He muttered just before he went right back to kissing me. My breath was quite taken away by the force of it. I hardly had time to think, let alone cry as James moved his hands down from my face to my waist, and pulled me in tightly to him. I was pressed flush against him, his kisses growing ever deeper.

And I kissed him back, knowing that he really did care for me.

James held me tightly as he showed me just how much he preferred me over Imogen. His lips finally left my own, but were then instantly attached to my neck, as he kissed his way down it, leaving me breathless.

'I love you.' He murmured, the vibrations fluttering through my very skin.

'I love you too.' I managed to breathlessly utter.

And I had no choice but to forgive him. It had after all, just been one big misunderstanding. One I was not eager to repeat.

His hands were splayed over my lower back, and I hardly felt him moving us backwards until my shoulder collided with the post of our bed. But I didn't care.

I only cared that James loved me. That was all I could think of at that moment.

And then, I felt a tug on the back of my dress.

James's fingers had found the laces that kept my dress in place, and was slowly working to untangle them.

I knew what he was doing. I knew what he wanted from me. And I also knew what I wanted from him.

So, I slid my hands up from his waist to his shoulders, and began to push his jacket backwards until it fell off his shoulders and settled at the top of his arms. James broke away from kissing me to practically throw his jacket off. It hit the ground with a thump, and his fingers then went to the buttons of his waistcoat, as he hastily undid them.

I had to bite my lip at the sight of James shrugging off his waistcoat, leaving him in his loose shirt. He clearly noticed this, and grinned.

'Now, Marion; I'd like to show you exactly who I would prefer to be my wife.' He said, placing his hands on my hips once more.

'Well, it's a good thing she wants you for a husband.' I teased back as I felt his hands skim over my hips and up my waist until they found the lacings of my dress again. James smirked as he lowered his head to mine and kissed me.

And with one swift pull, I felt the lacings give way. James's fingers brushed gently over the exposed skin of my lower back as he worked to pull them out of the dress, moving upward.

'It is a very good thing, as I rather adore her.' He said, reaching my shoulder blades.

'And she rather adores you too.' I said quietly as James's hands reached my neck and the laces were pulled free, and dropped to the ground with a muffled thump.

Pulling back, James gave me a genuine smile.

'I really do love you. More than anyone else I've ever known. And I promise I'm never going to make you that upset ever again.'

'You'll just have to find some way to make up for it.' I told him, grinning now, all thoughts of my tears had vanished.

James's gaze turned almost predatory.

'I'll see what I can think of to atone.' He said, lowering his lips to mine once more.

Then, he took me in his arms, and proceeded to show me just how sorry he was.

And I loved every second of it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen.**

The next morning rose like any other.

The sun shone brightly, the birds sang and the air held the promise of a warm and beautiful day.

Glancing down, I saw the arm of the other person in bed with me. His arms held me tightly to him, my back pressed against his front; as if he hadn't wanted to let me go all night. Like he wanted me to know how much he loved me, even in his sleep.

I sighed slightly as I thought back to the events of the previous night. James had put all of my fears to rest. He really did care for me; he loved me. And I loved him, so very much.

He was not going to replace me with Lady Imogen, I was not going to be thrown out of yet another home.

I had doubted him over almost nothing. There had been hardly any provocation from his actions at the ball. I had only seen him briefly flirt with her, and if I'd had half a moment to think about it, I should have been able to tell that he was carefully choosing his words to mean one thing, but give the impression of another.

Of course James loved me. He had proved it time and time again.

How could I have been so blind as to not have seen it? Ever since we had met again in the forest, he had always done his best to help me.

He had brought me the slate when I couldn't communicate. He had brought food and candles to the cottage, to prevent my family from starving.

And he had married me, to help me in my hour of most desperate need.

He had done the most generous thing anyone could have ever done for me. He had tied his life to me, whether I had fallen in love with him or not. By marrying me, he had risked his social standing, his reputation, his chance to fall in love with someone else, so that I could be safe. His home was now mine, his money, his status.

He had done it all for me. And now I knew it was because he loved me with all his heart. It had not been perfect, far from it; but it had all turned out wonderfully.

How had I ever deserved such love?

James was simply the most amazing man I had ever met, and he had my heart completely and utter in his grasp.

I loved him like no one I'd ever known before. My heart almost ached with how much I did love him. And how good it felt to be laying in his arms as I was at that moment.

My husband loved me. James loved me, and was never going to set me aside for another lady. And certainly not Imogen.

I shifted slightly in the bed, pulling the sheets up and around my unclothed body. James remained stubbornly asleep. Goosebumps rose on his flesh in the cold air, and yet he still clung to me.

I could have stayed like that forever, safely cocooned in his arms. But alas, my stomach began to rumble from hunger, and there were sounds from other people moving around for the day. No doubt my younger siblings were awake and moving, they hadn't had a late night like us older ones had. And James and I had an even later night.

I knew I had to get up. There were chores to be done, food to be made, and a market to attend. Clara and I needed to buy food supplies, and possibly some other little trinkets and things. We had money to buys such frivolities, and as James had explained to me before, no one else in the village was able to buy such things, meaning it was our duty to buy those goods and ensure those families make money from their labours.

Turning slowly around, I lifted James's arm so I could climb out of bed. I made it all of about half an inch, before I felt James's arms tighten around me.

'Hmmm.' He groaned sleepily, pulling me back towards him. I smiled as I let myself be brought back down onto the bed.

'Where,' He mumbled, 'Are you going?'

'To go and make breakfast, so Clara and I can go to the village.'

'Is that today?' He groaned, his arms tightening around me ever more.

'Yes, so I must get up.' I told him, trying to move out of his arms.

'No.' He said with a yawn, but I easily overpowered him and turned over.

'Yes, I must.' I said, finally seeing his face. His eyes were still closed and slight grains of sleep dusted the corner of his eyes. 'But you look still half asleep.' I noted.

He moaned in his sleep.

'It's well into the morning!' I exclaimed.

'You kept me up late last night.' He grumbled. 'Let me sleep.'

I blushed a little at the mention of it, and pressed a kiss to warm skin of his forehead.

'Would you rather have had an early night alone in your own bed?' I whispered.

With his eyes still closed, James grinned a little and scoffed.

'Have a guess.' He murmured.

I knew exactly what he would have preferred.

James yawned again, I knew he was still exhausted.

'I'll let you sleep. You look like you're in need of it.' I told him, kissing his cheek.

He groaned in agreement, and I let him fall back against the pillows.

'I love you.' I whispered and kissed him lightly. He kissed me back in his sleep addled world, and when I pulled away muttered, 'I love you too, Marion.'

Smiling, I climbed out of bed and hastily moved to the wardrobe to find something to cover myself with. James didn't even look, something I thought a little odd, as he usually took every opportunity to be improper like that. But I pulled on a dress, and glanced back to him, and he had fallen asleep again, with dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. We had been up rather late.

Tying the laces at the back of my dress, I leant over his sleeping form and kissed him lightly on the head before I left to go to the kitchen.

I had barely made it downstairs before Gwen came running up to me, shouting and giggling.

'Marion! What happened at the ball? Was is magical? Did Lady Ella look like a princess again? How many dances did you dance? When can I go to the next one?'

'Calm down!' I told her smiling. 'I'll tell you everything at breakfast.'

Silently, to myself, I knew I wasn't going to tell my eight-year old sister everything that had happened the night before. I was going to…devise a slightly more appropriate tale.

'What about Clara? Or Alexander, or Daniel?' She asked excitedly.

'I'm sure they'll tell you themselves.' I said, herding her towards the kitchen.

We made ourselves busy and Tom and Daniel joined us in making and setting up of breakfast. Daniel began to boast immediately about all the young women he met at the ball. Gwen and Tom listened as if in a trance, soaking up all the details of the enchanting ballroom, the marvelous food and the magical dances.

It wasn't too long before everything was ready, and Gwen ran upstairs to call everyone down to breakfast. But I told her not to disturb James, making up some excuse about him having a headache from too much wine the night before.

All the other members of my family gathered around the table, and the talk of the ball began almost immediately. And it took Alexander all of thirty seconds to mention the one person he had no doubt been dreaming of all night.

He talked for what seemed to be hours about Scarlett. Even more than the night before. I did not think it was possible to know more about her, but apparently it was. As much as Scarlett seemed like a lovely girl, there was only so much more I could hear about her. Only Richard seemed to make the connection between Scarlett and Bianca in his mind before Alexander pointed it out.

Gwen thought it was something out of a fairy tale, where Alexander had fallen in love with a beautiful highborn maiden at first sight, and that they were going to run away together and live happily ever after. Alexander scoffed at the idea, but I saw his secret smile afterward when he thought no one was looking. Maybe he also hoped for that. I rather suspected he did.

Clara told her tale of dancing with all those young men, and how each of them had asked her to dance, and the various romantic lines they had bestowed on her. Gwen listened with fascination, and Robbie looked more interested in the porridge before him than in anything Clara had to say.

We cleared away breakfast, and began to prepare for the day. I told Alexander that James was still sleeping, and he wasn't to disturb him. Or at least, not for a while. So, he decided to make himself useful and go and help Daniel with Gwen, Tom and Robbie's reading lessons. Clara and I fastened our cloaks and picked up our baskets, before heading out of the manor and taking the path towards the village.

'It still feels like a dream. That we were actually there at the palace, dancing like highborns!' Clara sighed as we wandered. 'It was such a shame it ended so early. Do you know why?'

'Yes. Jonathan was ill. And Duke William was as well. Nothing serious, but enough that Ella and Christopher were hardly there all night.' I explained.

'Oh. Poor baby Jonathan! He was so cute when he visited us.' Clara cried. 'But I suppose we can't all be lucky all of the time. He does live in a palace after all.'

'Yes, he does.' I agreed.

'So, what happened last night?' She inquired, glancing sideways at me.

At that moment, I felt the blood leave my face.

'What do you mean?' I asked nervously.

'All that commotion, last night. I sleep in the room next to yours, and it sounded a lot like shouting.'

I stammered for a few moments, while Clara waited for my answer.

'I…uh. We…There was… James and I had a…bit of a disagreement. But it's all sorted now.' I said.

'Why, what did he do?' She asked. 'Or what did you do?'

I glared at her.

'Why do you assume I did something wrong?' I asked.

'Because I've known you for sixteen years Marion. And you are as stubborn as James, probably more so. I'm honestly surprised something like this hasn't happened before.'

I scoffed.

'Oh, there have been raised voices before, trust me. Our marriage hasn't exactly been easy all the time.'

'Oh, don't say that. You two look so perfect together!' Clara exclaimed. 'And you'll dissuade me from my lifelong romantic dreams.'

'I hardly doubt, anything could dissuade you from those.' I teased.

'But still, even with the arguments, is it still worth it?' Clara asked hopefully.

That, I didn't have to even consider the answer.

'Yes. It is most definitely worth it.' I replied with a smile.

Clara almost squealed, and nudged me.

'Oh, I hope I find a man like James. And he could have been there, last night. Maybe Sir Alfred. Or Lord Francis.'

'I wouldn't be so sure. You've only met them once.'

'And?' She asked.

'And?' I replied incredulously. 'So, you can't hope to marry them after meeting them once for a few dances at a ball!'

'Why not? Ella and Christopher did. You met James at a Ball.'

'I didn't marry him straight after meeting him at a ball. We had a courtship, two years after that ball.'

'You courted for three days! You can hardly call that a courtship.'

'It was still after we had met several times. And, out circumstances could not exactly be called normal. We didn't marry for love; it was just good luck that it turned out so wonderfully.'

Clara scoffed at that.

'Oh please. We could all see it. You were both besotted with each other on your wedding day, though neither of you wanted to admit it.'

'I was not besotted!' I argued. 'I just thought he looked rather handsome that day.'

Clara raised her eyebrows at me.

'So,' I asked, a little nervously, 'What exactly did you hear last night?'

Clara shrugged.

'Nothing much. It was all muffled. But you were definitely shouting. What was the cause?'

I shook my head.

'Nothing. It was over nothing.'

'Didn't sound like it.' Clara teased, clearly trying to urge me to answer her question.

'Really. It was nothing. It's all been resolved between us.'

'It might be resolved, but I still want to know what caused it.' She pestered.

Sighing, I knew that Clara was not going to let the subject drop. Especially if she had heard some of what went on the night before. That was simply what she was like.

'I saw James with another lady at the ball. He was flirting with her.' I told her. 'But he didn't mean it.' I assured her when I saw her face. 'He was trying to keep her distracted for a few hours. I called him out on it, and he apologised and promised to never do it again. And I really should have had more faith in him, to know he would never do anything like that.'

'Well, I wouldn't let Bianca know about that. She might actually run him through with an arrow.' Clara observed.

I scoffed.

'I think she would have a more pressing target.' I noted.

'Who?'

'Alexander. He's taken a liking to her sister.'

'Oh yes, the angelic Scarlett.'

'Be nice. She is a truly lovely girl. Even if Alexander is exaggerating a little. I think that Bianca would have his life if he so much as laid a finger on her. She almost killed James when she found out about my marriage, I can only imagine it will be far worse when it's her sister.'

'You think Alexander wants to marry Scarlett? After only meeting her once at a ball.' Clara teased, repeating my words from earlier.

I grimaced at her.

'I imagine he will want to see her again, before that comes up.' I said.

Clara shrugged.

'Love at first sight; it is possible. Lady Ella and Lord Christopher are proof of that. And now Alexander and Scarlett.'

'Good luck to them. It won't be easy for them.' I muttered.

'How so?'

'Scarlett is Bianca's sister. And Duchess Nerissa's stepdaughter. She is the heir apparent to the Dukedom, one of the most sought after ladies in the entire country.' I explained. 'And Alexander…is just Alexander. No title, no money, just a lowborn.'

'With a highborn as his brother in law.' Clara argued.

'That will mean nothing.'

'But, Christopher is the heir to a Dukedom, and Ella was only a servant and it happened for them.'

'Ella is a Highborn, and had a title from her parents. And also, Christopher is a highborn male, raising up his wife. It doesn't usually happen the other way around.'

'Well, why shouldn't it? It's horribly unfair!' Clara exclaimed.

'I know it's unfair, but that's the way of the world.'

'Don't tell Alexander that. If he really does love Scarlett, he would bend the world so that they could be together. He's a romantic at heart.' Clara sighed.

'Oh yes, Alexander. The romantic.' I laughed.

In the nineteen years I had known Alexander, I would never have described him as romantic.

Until last night.

The man I saw when he was talking with Scarlett, watching her enter the room, he did have all the making of a true romantic at heart.

It was so strange to think that this was our brother, the boy we had known all of our lives. He acted so differently with Scarlett than around us.

'I think he will be, if all this talk of Scarlett continues.' Clara pointed out. 'Just think, we might have a future Duchess in our family!'

'Is knowing Ella not enough? Having one future Duchess as our friend will not satisfy you?' I asked.

'It is. But it would be nice to know two. We would really be one of the great families of the land then. We could be highborns. Never need to work again, no more poverty, no more starvation.'

'James has already saved us from that.' I explained.

'I know. But he can't support all of us forever. Alexander would get bored, Daniel restless, and Richard would eventually learn everything in that library. And besides, surely one day, you and James will have a family of your own to support. We'll have to go and lead our own lives eventually. And knowing Duchesses will rather come in handy.'

'Honestly, you're almost as bad as those scheming highborn women.'

Clara pretended to look offended.

'They're just jealous. Because I'm going to steal all of their beau's.'

At that, I had to laugh at my sister.

'Mark my words, I will be a large success in highborn society, just you wait.' She cried.

'Oh, I don't doubt it. You'll have men flocking to you. You've been preparing for that your entire life.' I told her, nudging her a little.

'Make way for Miss Clara Brown, famed beauty and celebrated Lady.' Clara cried, throwing her arms wide as she strutted down the path.

'Wait for me! I'm the one with a title.' I teased, running after her.

And the two of us ran giggling into Arton Village. Lady Thorne and her sister.

We spent hours in the village, visiting many market stalls and shops. The bakers, the butchers, the fruit and vegetable sellers. The dress shop, the cobblers, and the jewelers. We had no real need of new dresses or new jewels, and in truth, I had not brought much money with me. But, just to be polite to the sellers, I bought Clara and Gwen a small metal charm and a chain each. It was nothing fancy, but just a little trinket.

We ate lunch in the local tavern, in a private room. I thought we had no need of it, but the innkeeper insisted on giving Lady Thorne the best he had to offer.

Even though I told them all I didn't need or expect special attention, every single one of them insisted, claiming it was out of love for Sir Thorne.

It was no surprise to me that James was beloved in the village. He had been kind to me, and more than generous throughout our entire acquaintance, and of course that extended to the villagers in his care. James was truly a good man. The best I had ever known. And now that I was his wife, that love seemed to have extended to me as well.

It was so strange. That I was their lady, the wife of their lord. I was in the same positon that Lady Eleanor had been in when I had first met her. How grand she had seemed, how graceful. I felt nothing like that. In my heart, I was still the same lowborn servant girl I had always been, and my new title didn't change that. But people viewed me differently because of it. Not in a bad way, but it was different.

We stayed until well into the afternoon, and I tried to talk to as many people as I could. If they were now my villagers, I felt I had a duty to get to know them at least. I had been in their exact position, and I didn't want my perspective altered by thinking of them as simply lesser human beings. Maybe it was just my lowborn instincts driving me forwards, but many of the villagers seemed to like it.

It was early evening by the time Clara and I began to head back up to the manor house, our arms and baskets full of good, with many more being delivered to the house the next morning.

We were both utterly exhausted from our day of wandering around the village, and my head was about to burst with so many names to remember. I could only hope that James would help me tell who was who.

The familiar sight of the Manor came into view at long last, looking glorious in the low light of evening. Even now, it sometimes took my breath away that I lived and owned such a house.

We made our way down the path and through the front door, where we were instantly assaulted by Gwen and Robbie, wanting to know what we had bought, and whether we had any presents for them. A weary looking Alexander, emerged from the library shortly after them.

'Those two will simply not sit still.' He complained, as Clara and I moved towards the kitchen to place down our baskets.

'Yes. I know. That's what they are like!' I told him, heaving the basket onto the table and finally letting the weight off my arms. Clara groaned in relief as she fell onto a nearby stool.

'Long day?' I asked Alexander, noting the tired expression on his face. 'Has James worked you too hard with those numbers?'

Alexander shook his head.

'No, I haven't seen him all day. He claimed to have a headache. Probably too much wine last night. I've been giving them reading lessons all day.'

I frowned at the news. I had told Alexander earlier that James had a headache, and he wasn't to be disturbed, but that had been an excuse to cover that James was simply exhausted from our activities last night. He didn't actually have a headache.

Grabbing a clean cup, I filled it with water, and told them I was going to check on James. Clara began unpacking the baskets as I headed upstairs.

I made it along the corridor to James's door, and knocked lightly.

'James? Are you awake?' I asked, pressing my ear to the door.

A low moan came from the other side, and I took that to be 'yes.'. So, I pushed open the door.

The smell hit me before I saw it. That horrid stench of acid that made my own stomach twist.

Lying in the bed, was James. But next to him, on the floor, was a pool of vomit. His skin was pale, sweat lined his brow and stained his nightclothes. His eyes were scrunched tightly closed as he seemed to groan in pain.

I dropped the cup of water in my hand as I saw him.

And, more specifically, saw what was also in the pool of vomit.

Blood.

I knew what it meant.

I had seen this before.

First, with Sir Henry.

Then my own mother.

James had the fever.

And hardly anyone survived.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty.**

'James!' I cried, running to the side of the bed, not caring if I stepped in the pool of vomit on the floor.

He moaned in pain, turning away from me.

Reaching forward, I grasped his hand, panic flooding my veins.

He couldn't be ill. He just couldn't be.

His skin was hot, far too hot. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was pale, and flushed at the same time, I didn't even know that was possible.

'James! Can you hear me?' I shouted, trying to turn his head to face me. He moaned again, and shook slightly.

'James!' I shouted, tapping his face, trying to get him to open his eyes.

He didn't

Convulsing, he curled forward, and I jumped back as he heaved and emptied the contents of his stomach over the side of the bed.

I froze as I saw more blood line the horrid yellow bile.

James gulped down as much air as he could, before falling back against the pillows, exhausted.

'Alexander!' I screamed, turning towards the door. 'Anyone! Help!'

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to help him.

I was useless. Utterly useless.

There were footsteps, coming from the kitchen, and it wasn't long before Clara, Alexander and Daniel ran into view.

I was still screaming, my blood felt like ice in my veins.

'What is it?' Alexander shouted, running up the stairs.

I felt tears sting my eyes as my brother ran towards me, followed closely by my sister.

'It's James. The fever, it's got him!' I cried, my voice breaking.

Alexander seemed to stumble a little as he made it to the door. I almost fell against the doorframe as I glanced back to James still laying in pain in the bed. My breath was coming in pants now as the panic took over me.

My brother stopped and stared at James.

'Shit.' Alexander swore as he saw the state of my husband.

James writhed again, and gagged.

Without thinking, I moved to the other side of the bed, and clamored across the sheets. James retched again, and I placed my hand on his back, rubbing him gently as more bile left his mouth.

'James! I'm here. I'm here.' I repeated over and over.

Lifting my gaze to meet my brother's I screamed 'Get help!' at him.

Alexander spurred into action, stumbling as he quickly turned and almost fell out of the room. Clara was stood right behind him, and screamed in horror when she saw James.

James finished throwing up what was left in his stomach and collapsed against the bed again.

Brushing away the hair that was plastered to his hot forehead, I let the first few tears fall.

James couldn't be sick, it wasn't possible.

Where could he have possible caught it from? How had this happened?

And what was I supposed to do now? Did I keep him cool, or keep him warm? I had no idea how to care for him. I'd only ever seen two victims of the fever, and both of them had died within hours.

No, no, no.

This could not happen.

James could not be that sick.

He could not die.

I was not going to let him die.

Clara lifted her shaking hand to cover her mouth.

'Get some cold water! And cloths. And keep the others away.' I shouted at her, not caring if I sounded rude. James needed care.

Clara nodded and ran back down the stairs, shouting something to Daniel about the others.

I turned to James, and stroked his hair.

'James, what can I do?' I asked, my voice breaking with every word.

He swallowed, something that required great effort, and then slowly opened his eyes.

I almost collapsed at the sight of them. Those usually lovely forest green eyes were bloodshot, the veins prominent. The exhaustion was evident, and it was as if the life had already gone from them.

With a shuddering breath, I tried to smile at him, but I failed hopelessly.

'Marion?' He managed to croak.

'Yes. I'm here. I'm right here.' I whispered, holding him tightly in my arms.

'It...It hurts.' He grunted.

'I know. I know it does. But we're going to make you better. You're going to be fine.' I told him.

He coughed and spluttered a bit, and tears welled a little in the corner of his eyes.

Clara returned with a bowl of cold water and some cloths slung over her arm. She set it down quickly and then closed the door behind her.

'Daniel's keeping the others distracted.' She said, submerging the cloth in the water.

James moaned again in pain, his eyes closing.

She squeezed the wet cloth out and handed it to me. I took it, not caring that the cold water was dripping onto my fine dress, and pressed it against his hot forehead.

James sighed in relief as I dabbed it over his face and chest.

How long had he been like this? We had been gone all day, and no one had thought to check on him?

'It's alright. It's all going to be alright.' I assured him.

But that couldn't have been much further from the truth. My own heart was hammering inside my chest from fear, my stomach had coiled and twisted in terror.

James was not well. He was really not well.

And everyone I had known who had contracted the fever before had died.

But I couldn't let myself think that way. I was not going to allow it.

I knew if I did, I would let the panic over take me and I would freeze in terror.

This could not be happening; James could not be this ill.

And I had to control the fear that threatened to consume me wholly.

He coughed again, and it sounded like there was something in his throat, phlegm or blood.

'Shh.' I said, dabbing his chest with the cloth.

'Clara, can you get a cup of water. I think he needs to gargle.' I asked frantically. She nodded, and almost ran out of the room.

'Ma…rion.' James croaked, and I turned back to him.

'I..lo..love-'He started, but I cut him off.

'NO! Do not say that!' I cried, holding him tighter. 'You cannot give up!'

My heart felt like it was going to shatter into thousands of unfixable pieces.

James spluttered again.

'I'm…I'm not.' He breathed.

'Don't you dare even think of giving up on me, or so help me I will…' I told him, but then had to stop to think of something to threaten him with.

The corner of James's mouth twisted upwards ever so slightly.

'Or what…Lady Thorne?' He asked.

I wanted to smack him for teasing me when I was in that state. More tears collected in my eyes.

'Or…I will go back to sleeping in my own bed, and lock the door.' I said, trying to be hopeful even though my chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself.

'Don't…please…' James breathed, trying to lift his hand. I reached forward and took it in my own. His palm was sweaty and warm, but I didn't care.

'Then get better!' I told him. 'Fight this.'

He swallowed and grimaced in pain.

'I'm trying.' He ground out.

'You are going to beat this. You're going to get better. And then we're going to go back to normal like this never happened.' I told him, trying to smile.

'I'd...I'd like that.' He said. Taking a deep breath, James clung to my hand as another thrash of pain consumed him.

Clara burst through the door, cup of water in hand, and ran over to James's side. She handed the cup to me, and I lifted James slightly so I could press it to his lips. He took a sip, his eyes remaining firmly closed. I tried to give him another, but he shook his head slightly. Clara took the cup back from me and placed it on the side table.

Just then, a loud bang alerted us to the fact the front door had been thrown open. Two pairs of footsteps ran across the entrance hall and up the stairs and then one familiar and one unfamiliar face greeted us at the door.

Alexander stepped aside and let the other man walk into James's bedroom.

'Arry, this is Mr. Carr. He's the physician in Arton.' Alexander panted. He gulped down as much air as he could. He had clearly run all the way there, and all the way back, his cheeks were tinged pink by the exercise.

'Lady Thorne, if you'll permit me.' Mr Carr asked, and I nodded.

Sliding backwards, I set James down gently on the pillows and let the physician get closer to him.

'I would suggest you all leave the room, until I have examined him.' Mr Carr told us, but I shook my head.

'Alexander, Clara; you should go.' I said to them. 'I'm staying.'

Mr Carr looked up towards me at that as Alexander and Clara both scuttled out of the room.

'You too. In case of infection-'

'I don't care. I've probably already contracted it now if I'm going to get it at all. I am not leaving my husband.' I told him firmly.

'I must insist.' Mr Carr argued, but I stood my ground. There was no way in hell I was going to leave James like this.

'No. This is my house, and that is my husband. You do not order me, so I am staying.' I almost shouted.

Mr Carr looked a little taken aback at my impertinence, but simply let the subject drop and went back to examining James.

I stood in the corner of the room, watching his every move. He took James's pulse, and opened his bloodshot eyes. Mr Carr took his time examining James and every second increased my fear.

I'd never been more terrified of anything in my life. I felt actually sick with fear.

James could not be this ill.

'Lady Thorne, I need to ask you some questions about your husband.' Mr Carr said, moving towards me.

I just nodded, not taking my eyes off James's unmoving body.

'Firstly, has anything like this ever happened before? Has he ever been ill like this?'

I glanced towards Mr Carr, and I was at a loss for words.

'I…He…I don't know. We've only been married three and a half months. I…really don't know.'

Mr Carr nodded slowly.

'And do you have any idea where he might have contracted the disease from? Has he come into contact with anyone who had been ill in the last few days?'

Thinking back, nothing came to mind. But I was hardly in a good place to be thinking of such things.

Shaking my head, I said, 'I don't think so, he hasn't-'

Then, it hit me.

James had been to see someone who was ill.

The Ball. We had been at the ball.

And James had left the room, not with Imogen, but with Christopher.

And they had gone to check on Duke William and Jonathan.

The two people in the palace who had been ill. Ill enough that Christopher had wanted to cancel the ball.

James had caught it off Jonathan or Duke William.

Which meant one of them, or both of them had the fever as well.

Not only was James ill, but Baby Jonathan might be this ill!

To quote my brother, Shit.

'Yes. We went to a Ball at Duke Howard's palace. Duke Howards and Jonathan Howards were ill, and James went to see them.'

I almost slumped back against the wall behind me.

'They'll be ill too.' I breathed. 'No, no, no.'

'Duke Howard's is ill?' Mr Carr asked. 'Do you know how he was being treated, what his diagnosis is?'

I shook my head. All Ella and Christopher had said the day before was that they were ill. No more details than that.

'I don't know. Lady Ella just said they were ill. She thought it was just a stomach upset, or a childhood illness of Jonathan. I never thought-'

A sob wracked my chest, and I found I was unable to finish the sentence.

James had caught the fever from that damned ball! I thought it had been bad enough when I had spent most of the evening crying about James possibly leaving me. But now…

He had caught the very thing that had killed my mother.

Why the hell hadn't Ella cancelled the ball? If Jonathan was sick with the fever, then why did she let it continue?

'Lady Thorne, I need you to be honest with me. I realise this is a delicate question.' Mr Carr said. I glanced up to him.

'How close were you with your husband last night? Did you sleep in the same bed, or…'

'Why is that important?' I demanded a little harshly. That should have been none of his business.

'I just want to ascertain if the chance of you also contracting the disease is high. Prolonged, or intimate exposure to someone with the disease increases the chance of contracting it.' He explained calmly.

I averted my gaze, and nodded.

'Yes, we were intimate last night.' I told him, my cheeks burning.

'Then, I will need to keep a close eye on you, just in case. Have you ever had it before, or been around someone who has?'

'Yes. My mother died of it. And my employer, over three years ago.' I said.

He seemed a little surprise at my mention of an employer, as I was now a lady, but he didn't press the subject.

'And you didn't contract the disease?'

'No.'

'What about the rest of your family, your father, any siblings?'

'No, we were all perfectly healthy.'

Mr Carr sighed, and glanced back to James, who was still lying still.

'I would suggest that you remain here, in this room. It will limit the chance of the disease spreading to anyone else in the house. Are there any children here?'

'Yes, my brothers and sisters. The youngest is eight, nearly nine.'

'They should especially be kept away. Children are far more susceptible to the fever than adults. Is there a servant, or older siblings who can take care of them?'

'Yes, that won't be an issue.' I told him. They could all take care of themselves, until James got better.

'Good. Now, Sir Thorne needs to be kept cool. His fever will continue to rise, and we have to just hope it breaks.'

I swallowed, the fear rising in me again.

'And what if it doesn't break?' I asked, petrified.

Mr Carr shook his head.

'We'll think about that if it comes to it.'

I knew exactly what that meant, and thought I was going to be sick on the floor.

No.

No, no, no.

NO!

'Lady Thorne, if you don't mind; seeing as though you will be staying here, would you mind assisting me in his care?' He asked, shrugging off his outer jacket and hanging it over the back of a chair.

Taking a deep breath, I willed myself into being calm and nodded, rolling up my sleeves slightly.

'May I go and inform my family of what is happening? Just momentarily?'

Mr Carr nodded, placing his hands in the bowl of cold water Clara had brought, to wash them.

'Yes, but keep as far away from them as you can. Don't touch them.'

'And is it what I think it is?' I asked, my heart hammering in my chest.

Mr Carr nodded gravely.

'Yes. It is the fever. I'm sorry.' He said.

I felt a surge of nausea as soon as he said those last words. Up until that point, I thought it might be something else, something that might go away. But it wasn't.

So, with an unsteady breath and shaking legs, I opened the door, and stepped out of the sick room.

Alexander was sat on the floor of the corridor, his back pressed against the wall. His head snapped upwards to look at me as soon as I opened the door, and he scrambled to his feet.

'How is he?' He asked instantly, taking a step towards me, but I held up my hands to stop him.

'No, stay back. It's possibly contagious. Just…just stay there.' I told him, my voice breaking.

Alexander obeyed, but he didn't look happy about it.

'It's the fever.' I told him, the fact of it becoming more real as I said it aloud. 'So, you all need to stay away. Make sure that Gwen and Robbie are as far away from the room as you can get them.'

'What about you?' Alexander asked.

'If I'm going to become infected, it will have already happened by now, so I'm staying here. Mr Carr wants to keep an eye on me.' I said, the tears welling in my eyes slightly.

Alexander nodded.

'So, I need you to look after them all. Promise me, Alexander. You don't let them anywhere near here. You keep them safe.' I cried. My legs wanted to crumple underneath me.

'What if you need help? Or supplies?' He asked.

I closed my eyes and shrugged. A single hot tear ran down my cheek, slowly and steadily. I hadn't thought of anything like that. My mind was too occupied with thoughts of James at that moment.

'I…I don't know. I don't know what to do.' I admitted to my brother.

'It's alright Arry. We'll sort it out. Someone will be here; in case you need anything. Just shout.' Alexander assured me.

I nodded. 'Thank you.'

'I'll tell the others. Go and make that husband of yours better.' He said, pointing back through the door.

With a small sad smile to my brother, I turned around and went back through the door.

Back into the sick room.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One.**

The room smelt foul.

Utterly foul.

The acidic pool of vomit continued to stew in the warm room, filling the air with horrid vapors. James himself was covered in sweat, and smelt awful.

I gagged a few times before properly entering the room.

I had to be here. I had to be strong. James needed my help, and I was going to make him better.

I had to.

Mr Carr had placed his bag on the desk, and was rummaging through it, pulling out small bottles of potions and concoctions that scared me a little.

'He needs to be kept cool. It will hopefully bring the fever down. Do you have ice?' Mr Carr asked me.

I shook my head.

'No, only cold water.' I said, picking up the cold wash cloth and moving around to the far side of the bed. Scrambling across it, I knelt next to James, who was quietly moaning in pain, and I pressed the cold cloth to his head. It didn't bring him much relief, but it seemed to be better than nothing.

'If you'll permit me, I'm going to give Sir Thorne this.' Mr Carr said, holding up a small bottle of brown liquid.

'What is it?'

'Willow bark extract. It needs to be made into a tea, but it's good for pain relief.' He explained.

'My brother is outside the door. He'll make the tea if you ask him.'

'Thank you.' Mr Carr said, and went to open the door. James moaned as Mr Carr disappeared.

'It's going to be alright.' I assured him. 'You're going to get better, and it will all go back to how it was before.'

James slowly peeled open his eyes.

'Exactly…the way…before?' He asked with a rasping breath.

I nodded.

'Yes.' I told him.

James took a shuddering breath.

'Will it stop?' He asked.

Clearing my throat slightly, I tried to be positive and ask 'What will stop?'

'The pain?' He asked, grimacing.

'It will do. Mr Carr will be back shortly with some…some tree bark tea or something. Where does it hurt?'

'My head.' He groaned. 'My chest, my th…throat. It's like…they're on fire.'

'It will be fine.' I reassured him, pressing the cold cloth to his head. 'You need rest.'

'You'll stay?' He asked, pleading with me with his eyes.

'Of course. I'm staying right here until you're better.' I told him.

James nodded slightly. Leaning forward, I pressed a soft kiss to his far too hot forehead.

Mr Carr re-entered the room at that moment, with a steaming cup of tea in his hand.

'He needs to drink this.' He said, moving to James's bedside, and kneeling down. He lifted James's head up and pressed the cup to his lips. James opened his mouth and took a sip of the brown liquid. Spluttering, he gagged on it and almost spat it out.

'Yes, its' not very pleasant, but it will ease the pain.' Mr Carr told him.

'Drink it.' I urged James. I hated seeing him in pain like this, and I knew that this foul smelling tea would help him.

James inhaled through his nose, and then opened his mouth again. He swallowed a mouthful of the tea, his eyes scrunching shut as he did.

'There. Well done!' I encouraged him, and he continued to drink it.

Mr Carr eventually lowered the cup from his lips, and a few stray drops ran down his chin. I wiped them away with the cloth. James almost fell back against the pillows again.

'What now? Is there something you can give him to fight it?' I asked Mr Carr, dipping the cloth in the cold water once again.

Mr Carr shook his head.

'No. We can just make him comfortable and keep him cool until the fever breaks. There's no cure or remedy, we just have to hope he's strong enough to fight it. Sleep should help.'

My hands began to shake as his words sunk in. There was nothing we could do for him.

'Don't worry. Sir Thorne is young and strong. If anyone stands a chance at defeating this, its him.' Mr Carr told me.

Somehow, that didn't improve my mood.

'I'm going to go back home, and pick up some more supplies. Will you be alright staying here, alone with him for an hour?'

'What do I do?' I asked.

'Mainly, keep him cool. And give him plenty of water. It might be a few hours until the fever breaks, so do as much as you can to bring it down.' He said, packing up most of his bag.

'I'm leaving this.' He said, placing a small bottle down on the desk. 'It's more willow bark. If he wakes and is in pain, make up some more tea. Your brother knows how to do it. You shouldn't need to, until I get back, but just in case.'

I nodded, and then glanced down to James, who appeared to be drifting off, the tea clearly already administering some relief to him.

Mr Carr bowed politely to me, and then he was gone.

And I was left with James, who appeared to be asleep.

His breathing was still raspy, his skin flushed. He was still far too hot to the touch, but at least he seemed to be soothed somewhat by the tea.

I was still in shock, unable to believe that he was this ill. He had seemed so healthy and strong up until today. He had been fine at the ball, and the rest of the night.

And then it hit me.

This morning, he had been exhausted. He had barely been able to open his eyes when I had gotten up. I had simply assumed that he had been tired from our activities from the previous night. But it hadn't been. It had been because he was ill. We should have gotten Mr Carr at that, and not let him suffer all day.

I had left him alone all day when he was sick like this! How could I have let that happen? Clara and I had been shopping and enjoying ourselves, spending James's money and being treated like a lady, while we had abandoned him.

Tears began to well in my eye again, as I glanced down at his sleeping form.

He was going to get better, his fever was going to break. He was going to survive.

I refused to let anyone else I cared about die because of the fever. It was not going to happen.

Repeating those words over and over again helped.

He was going to get better.

But no matter how many times I said it, the sight of him before me told a different story.

Perching on the edge of the bed, I ran my hand over his forehead, brushing aside the strands of his hair that had been plastered to his skin with sweat. He didn't react, and continued to slumber.

My heart almost broke to see him like this.

'It's all going to be alright.' I whispered to him, continuing to stroke his hair. 'You're going to get better.'

He didn't react.

'Everything's going to be alright. You're going to get better, and we'll go back to how everything was before. We're going to get past this.'

I sniffled a little, the corners of my vision going a little blurry.

'We're going to do so much more. You are going to go to the royal court, and give Philip hell for being an idiot. You're going to see Ella's new baby born, and watch your godson grow up.'

My stomach twisted as I knew what words I had to say next.

'And then, one day, we're going to have children of our own.' I admitted. 'You're going to be a great father.'

The tears began to roll down my face.

'Just think, there will be little Thorne's running around the manor. In the nursery, screaming at all hours of the night, keeping us up, forcing me to wash up their dirty napkins. But we're going to love them, so very much.'

I took a shuddering breath and continued.

'There's going to be a little boy, who looks exactly like you. He's going to have your lovely green eyes and long hair, but I'm going to make sure he never gets that smug smile you always have. He's going to be so handsome and sweet, and he's going to just adore you. He'll follow you around everywhere, and want to be just like his father.'

I sniffled.

'And then, our little girl. Oh, she will be beautiful. She really will be. And you will just dote on her. She'll run through hedges and chase her brother and get twigs and leaves in her hair, which you will insist on pulling out gently, unlike me. And heaven help the young man who wants to court her. You will put him through hell to be good enough for her. And even then, you probably won't approve. But she'll fight, she'll get that from me, and shout at you until you give her what she wants. You won't be able to deny her anything.'

I was almost sobbing now. This future seemed so beautiful, and yet so far away. If this illness continued, it would slip through my fingers.

'Gr…gr..' James moaned.

I froze in shock.

'What?' I asked, leaning in.

'Her…her na..me.' James groaned, his voice raspy.

'You heard me?' I asked, suddenly nervous.

He nodded slightly.

'Her name…Grace.' He told me. 'After my mother.'

I huffed out a sob.

'What about my mother?' I asked.

James moaned a little in pain.

'Our…se…second daughter.' He told me.

'We're having two daughters?' I asked, the tears freely falling now.

'We have..to beat…Christopher…and Ella.' James joked. Even in his ill state, he still couldn't resist.

I scoffed.

'I'm not getting into a competition. I'm not going through pregnancy that many times.' I told him.

'Worth a try.' James teased, which was followed by a moan of pain.

'Get better, and I may consider it.' I told him, brushing away my tears. My heart felt like it was being held together by a tiny thread. That beautiful future seemed further away than ever. As much as I wanted that one day, the reality was far from good.

James had to get through this.

He had to get better.

But he looked more ill than ever.

James coughed, and it was clear that there was something stuck in his throat. I pushed him forward and placed a bowl on my knee. James coughed some more and spat out a mouthful of blood and spit.

'Sleep. You need to rest.' I told him, gently lowering back down onto the pillows.

'Stay?' James breathed.

'Of course. I'll be right here. All night if I have to be.' I said, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

James nodded, ever so slightly, and then closed his bloodshot eyes.

He seemed uncomfortable, but at least he wasn't moaning in pain as he had been earlier. I stayed by his side until he drifted off into a restless sleep.

I'd never been more worried about anything in my life. James was the love of my life, and I hated seeing him like this.

I tried to make myself useful for the remainder of the hour. There was so much nervous energy building up inside me, that I knew if I stopped moving I would simply lose my mind.

I cleaned up, as best I could. I opened the window to try and let some cool evening air in. I pressed the cold wet cloth to James's skin to try and keep his temperature down.

And nothing seemed to help.

If anything, he only seemed to get warmer and warmer, regardless of how much I tried to keep the fever down.

The hour dragged on. It never seemed to end. My rising panic only caused me to get more and more upset with myself.

By the time Mr Carr returned, I was a mess.

All I could think about was the fact that I had abandoned him all day, and caused all of this. If I had paid attention, the tiniest bit of attention, James would be almost better by now.

It was all my fault, my fault, my fault.

'Lady Thorne?' Mr Carr asked as he entered the room.

I glanced up from my spot on the floor. I had worked myself into such a panic that I had curled up into a ball and was leaning against the wall.

'Oh thank Heaven.' I said, pushing myself off the ground, and trying to compose myself.

'Any change?' Mr Carr asked. 'In you, or Sir Thorne?'

'He's…He's warmer. I think. Is that worse?' I asked, terrified of the answer.

Mr Carr almost ran over to his bedside, and placed the back of his hand on James's head.

'No, I don't think he's worse. I think you're just panicking.' He told me.

Letting loose a ragged sigh of relief, I stood up, and had to lean against the wall to steady myself.

'I think you need to sleep. You look exhausted.' Mr Carr told me.

'No, I need to stay.'

'Please. You won't be of any help to him in this state.'

'No!' I yelled. 'I promised him I'd stay, and I'm staying.'

'Lady Thorne, I really think that-'

'I am staying. End of discussion.' I shouted, and fell into a nearby chair.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I did feel exhausted. I was tired and scared and upset.

'May I suggest,' Mr Carr said, 'That you try and get some rest, in this room. You'll be able to help more if you're in a better state of mind.'

Yawning, I slumped back into the chair. Maybe Mr Carr was right? Maybe I did need to sleep.

'Only for an hour.' I told him. 'You wake me up after an hour. Or if he changes at all.'

Mr Carr nodded, and began to unpack his bag.

I would have argued with him, but a wave of drowsiness consumed me, and I struggled to keep my eyes open. I really was truly exhausted.

My eyelids began to close, and the last thing I saw before the darkness took over, was James's pale and sick face.

I awoke in darkness.

It wasn't completely black, as there were two candles on the bedside table, shedding light onto the person still lying in the bed.

Forcing my neck to click back into place, I pushed myself off the back of the chair, and found out that someone had wrapped a blanket around me.

Mr Carr had found another chair, and as sat on the far side of the bed, his elbows braced on his knee, his head in his hands.

'What,' I asked, with a ragged voice 'Time is it?'

Mr Carr's head snapped up to look at me.

'It's about three.' He told me.

Jumping out of the chair, I let the blanket drop.

'I said an hour. It's been six!' I shouted.

'You needed sleep. If you have also got the fever, you need as much energy as you can get to fight it.'

My anger was rising with every passing second.

'I promised him I'd stay and make him better! And sleeping is not going to help him.'

'There's nothing more you can do. There's nothing anyone can do. We just have to hope the fever breaks.'

'And has it?' I asked, hopefully.

Mr Carr sighed and shook his head.

'No. It should have broken by now.' He admitted.

My heart stopped.

'So, what do we do?' I asked frantically.

Never before had I been so scared of anything in my life.

'There's nothing we can do.' Mr Carr repeated.

James's groaned from the bed.

'How long has he been awake?' I asked incredulously.

'Over an hour.'

'Over an hour! And you didn't wake me?' I yelled.

'He asked me not to.' Mr Carr admitted.

'James!' I shouted, turned to my husband who was still lying on the bed.

He groaned again in response.

I picked up the wet cloth that was lying in the bowl of cold water. Squeezing it out, I began to press it to James's too hot skin.

He was far, far too hot.

He was hotter than he had been when I had gone to sleep. That was certain.

'He's worse?' I asked.

Mr Carr nodded sadly.

I felt my stomach drop, and I actually felt sick.

He was worse.

He hadn't gotten any better.

I had failed him yet again.

I had slept while James had gotten worse! How could I have done that?

'More…' James groaned.' Tea. Please…'

I glared at Mr Carr.

'Will that help?' I asked him.

'It will help with pain relief. But it won't do more than that.' Mr Carr informed me.

'So, do we give it to him?'

'I'm not sure. I'll make some up, and then I'll assess him. Watch him for a few minutes.' He said, leaving the room.

I pressed the cloth to James's chest again.

'Why didn't you make him wake me. That was a stupid thing to do!' I told him, perching on the edge of the bed.

James's didn't respond. He only groaned in pain. I think at that point words were beyond him.

'Keep fighting. You have to keep fighting this for me. Remember, we've got so much to do!' I told him my stomach twisting with fear. 'We've got a life to lead. Things to do, places to go. Children to have.'

James didn't appear to be listening.

'I can't lose you. Not you. I can't lose anyone else.' I told him, my voice breaking.

His skin was horridly warm to touch. My heart wanted to break for him.

'Keep fighting. For me. Please.'

He still didn't respond.

'Fight for me. Don't leave me here alone. Please James. Please. Don't leave me.'

He convulsed slightly, but still didn't appear to hear me.

'I love you. You have to get better.'

James coughed, and there was definitely something in his throat. I turned him over slightly, and then he retched, and bile flew out of his mouth, splashing onto the floor. The smell was foul and I saw more blood stain the sheets.

He wasn't getting any better.

He was getting worse.

'Fight this.' I begged him.

I wanted him to get better more than I had wanted anything else in my life. I would have traded places with him, if it meant he would get better, I would have paid any price. I would have gone back to that faerie that had cursed me and offered him anything if it meant James would survive this.

But the faerie was dead. Killed by Annette. There was nothing I could do.

The door opened again, and Mr Carr entered, holding a cup of steaming tea. He started at the sight of the new pool of vomit, and the more blood dripping out of James's mouth.

'Oh.' He said, placing down the cup on the table.

'What?' I asked frantically.

He didn't reply, but checked James's temperature with the back of his hand once again, and hung his head.

'Lady Thorne, I need to speak with you.'

Dread filled my heart at those words.

'May we go outside?' He asked, but I shook my head. My family were outside, and they might be able to hear if any of them were still awake. And I was not leaving the room while James was still this ill.

'Over there.' I pointed, gesturing to the corner of the room.

He moved, and I pressed a kiss to James's head before following him.

Every step I took towards him made my heart clench with terror. Mr Carr didn't not look hopeful.

I reached the corner of the room, and had to clasp my hands to stop them from shaking.

Mr Carr took a long deep breath, and then lifted his gaze to meet mine.

'I don't know how to say this.' He began, and at that, I knew exactly what he meant.

I knew what those words meant.

'I don't think…'He said. 'That Sir Thorne is going to make it through the night.'

That was when the blow to my heart struck me.

He wasn't going to live.

James was going to die.

I was going to lose him in the same way I had lost my mother.

Without thinking, I loosed a sound that appeared to be somewhere between a scream and a sob.

'No.' I said, shaking my head. My arms had instinctively wrapped themselves around my waist, as if I was trying to keep my body together.

'No, no, no. He's going to be fine.' I insisted with a ragged voice.

Mr Carr shook his head sadly.

'The fever would have broken by now, if it was going to break. I'm very sorry Lady Thorne, but you should prepare yourself.'

My legs gave way, and I sank to the floor, still with my arms wrapped tightly around myself.

This could not be happening.

I was not hearing those words.

This was a nightmare that I was going to suddenly wake from, and James was going to be fine.

'I can give him the tea, but it will only give him pain relief. It will also make him drowsy. And with any luck, he will pass peacefully with no pain.'

'NO!' I screamed.

The panic had completely consumed me now.

James was going to die.

I was going to lose him forever.

Mr Carr crouched down and placed his arm gently on my shoulder.

'Lady Thorne, I really am very sorry. But it's all I can do. And this way, he will feel no pain.'

I couldn't stop shaking. My stomach twisted, and my heart pounded. My chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself. I wanted to rip my own heart out to stop feeling like this. I wanted to tear my hair out at the roots, wanted to pierce my skin with something, anything. I just wanted to stop feeling this way.

I wanted James to get better. But that was not going to happen.

'Mar…ion.' Came the groggy voice of James from the bed.

I took in several panting breaths, trying to calm myself. Mr Carr helped me off the floor, but I felt numb. I walked slowly towards the bed, where James had opened his eyes and was now gritting his teeth against the pain.

'Please. I…I need….the tea.' He grimaced.

I sobbed, and brushed part of his hair out of his eyes. Those lovely forest green eyes, that would soon no longer be so full of life.

'What happens when he drinks it?' I asked Mr Carr.

Mr Carr sighed.

'It takes a few minutes, for the pain relief to work. Then he'll have a few more moments before the sedative begins to work.'

He didn't need to continue, as I knew what happened after that.

My chest kept contracting in and in and in. I could hardly breathe.

Mr Carr added sadly, 'I would use those few minutes before the sedative kicks in to say….what you need to say.'

The tears were streaming down my face now, and sobs wracked my chest.

'Marion…please.' James ground out.

I couldn't.

I just couldn't do this to him. Give him the tea when I knew that I would only have minutes left with him.

'I'll let you and your husband have some privacy. But please call me back in when he is asleep.' Mr Carr said, making his way to the door. 'And I'm very sorry, again.'

'It's not your fault.' I told him as he left. 'You did the best you could.'

Mr Carr nodded, and quietly shut the door.

Leaving me alone with James.

'Marion.' James said again.

I glanced down at him, and knew what I had to do.

As much as I hated it, I couldn't leave him in his much pain. That was too cruel. He deserved to be at peace. And I could give him that.

And so, with shaking hands, I lifted the cup of steaming tea into my hands, and perched on the edge of the bed. Still sobbing, I lifted James up and pressed the cup to his lips.

He drank greedily, not caring about the foul taste. He was in so much pain.

I watched every long moment as he drank the mixture that I knew would put a limit on our remaining time.

James finished the last of the tea, and I slowly lowered the empty cup and placed it back on the table, my shoulders shaking with the force of my sobs.

James leaned back into his pillows, and his brow seemed to relax slightly.

I continued to cry. I just couldn't help myself.

I loved James. I loved him so very much.

And he was going to be taken away from me.

Three and a half months. We had been married for only three and a half months.

And now, that was at an end.

Or it would be, very shortly.

I grabbed his hand, and held on tightly, feeling the warmth emanating from him. I lifted his hand, and pressed a firm kiss to the back of it, and then another.

James appeared to become more calm by the second, and after what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes. They instantly fixed on me.

'Marion?' He asked with a rough voice.

'Yes. I'm right here.' I told him, my vision becoming a little blurry.

'Shh.' He said softly, moving his other hand to stroke my knee. It was the only thing he could reach. 'Don't cry.'

But I couldn't.

At those words, the sobs consumed me.

'I'm...I'm not getting…better…am I?' James asked.

Hating every moment, I shook my head slowly.

James released a ragged breath, and then said, 'Come…here. Please.'

I sniffled, and shifted so I was lying next to him, my head resting on the pillow next to his, facing him.

James took a deep breath.

'How long?' He asked.

I shrugged slightly.

'I don't know. A few minutes until you fall asleep. But after that, I don't know.' I sobbed.

'Shh. It's..alright.' James breathed.

'No. It's not. I can't lose you.' I cried.

'Marion. I need…to tell you…' He breathed, his speech becoming slightly slower.

I sniffed, and wiped away my tears.

'You are…the most…amazing…woman I have…ever known.' He told me.

My heart clenched tighter at those words.

'And I am so…glad…and honored…to call you my wife.' He said.

The sobs started again.

'And I am the luckiest woman in the world to have you for a husband.' I told him.

The corner of James's mouth turned upwards slightly, as if he was trying to smile.

'I love…you…so much.' He breathed.

'I love you too.' I sobbed, clinging to his hand tightly.

'And I'm sorry…we didn't have more…time.'

I leant forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

'Marion…you are the…love of my life. Thank…you so...much…for making these…last months…the happiest time…I've ever had.'

'You rescued me. I should be thanking you.' I told him.

'No, you…rescued me…from my loneliness.' He admitted.

My heart almost shattered then.

'You really are…the love of…my life.' James said. 'But I know…I might not be…yours.'

My heart stopped at that.

'What?'

'Jack. The man you…can't remember.' James said.

I shook my head.

'No. James, you are the love of my life.' I insisted.

'Shh. It's alright.' James said. 'I just…want you...to be happy.'

I began sobbing again, my chest caving in.

'But I don't-' I began,

'Be happy Marion. Find…Jack. I hate him…for it…but I want…you to be happy.' James said.

'No.' I told him. 'I don't want him. I want you. You are my husband; you are the only love of my life. And there will never be another.' I promised him.

'I hope not.' James breathed. 'You're far... too beautiful…to be alone.'

The tears continued to fall from my eyes.

'But I love you.' I said.

'Just please…don't forget me. Please Marion. Don't forget…I love you.' He told me.

'Never.' I insisted. 'I am never going to forget you James. And I'm never going to stop loving you.'

James's eyes seemed to flutter a little, and it was clear he was fighting the sedative in the tea.

'We'll see…each other again…I know.' James said, barely louder than a whisper.

I nodded slightly.

'Don't leave me.' James said, his eyes closing slowly.

'I'm staying right here. I love you James. Forever. I love you.'

And as his forest green eyes fluttered shut, all I could think about was all the other times I had seen them so full of life.

The very first time we had met, at Christopher's ball. He had looked so handsome and infuriating with his smug smile.

The time I had danced with him at the palace, the day before the wedding. The wedding itself, we had danced together, and his eyes had been on mine the entire time.

The time I had crashed into them, about to shoot Clara. His beautiful green eyes had gone wide at the first sight of me in over a year.

Our first kiss, our wedding day….

All the memories consumed me, as I watched James close his eyes for the final time, and fall into a deep sleep.

The tears continued to fall as I thought back to the day after our wedding, when he had been so proud to introduce me as his wife. The confrontation with Blanche, the time he had defended me against the servants and gotten rid of them.

He'd done it all out of love for me.

And now he was going to die.

The time Ella and Christopher had visited with Jonathan, he had looked so happy when he saw me with the baby. And now, we were never going to get the chance to have a child of our own. Ever.

And I was never going to see him again. He was going far away where I'd never be able to hold him, or kiss him, or love him.

James settled, and I called Mr Carr back into the room. He entered silently, and took a seat in the chair on the other side of the bed.

I held my husband. I never let him go.

For hours.

The time marched on, and I stayed by James's side. Every so often, I would lean down, and tell him how much I loved him, and how brave he was being.

And then, just before dawn broke, I told him to wait for me. On the other side, or wherever he was going.

I told him to wait for me. Because I was going to see him again, and no veil of death was going to stop me.

His chest moved ever so slowly, and I told him one final time how much I loved him.

Then, he let out one final long breath.

And his chest stopped moving all together.

The first rays of daylight began to fall into the room, as Mr Carr lent over, and placed his hand gently on James's wrist, to find his pulse.

But I already knew.

There wasn't one.

I was frozen with shock until Mr Carr pulled back and shook his head.

James was gone.

My husband, the love of my life, was dead.

I was a widow.

James was gone.

And so, I screamed.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two.**

I'd never known pain like it.

It was as if my heart had been ripped open, within my chest.

The very fabric of my existence was burning.

And he wasn't here to comfort me.

I screamed, and screamed and screamed.

Clinging to his lifeless body, I held James as I sobbed.

James was gone, he was dead. His skin had turned ashen, and gone tight.

He was gone.

The fever had killed hm.

And the love of my life was dead.

The door behind me swung open, but I didn't care.

James was gone.

'Arry?'

I didn't turn around. I only clung to James tighter.

There was some small part of me that believed that he would wake up any moment, and everything would be fine.

But he wasn't going to.

James had died, in my arms.

How was this possible? He was so young and healthy.

Twenty-four.

He had only been twenty-four years old.

His life had barely begun, and now it was over.

He was gone, forever.

I was never going to tell him I love him again. I was never going to hold him again, never going to kiss him.

I was all alone.

There was a hand placed on my shoulder, and I turned slightly to see Alexander standing behind me.

'Is he…gone?' He asked, his voice breaking slightly.

I didn't respond in words, but the sound that came out of my mouth was something like a moan of pain.

My brother wrapped his arms around my shoulder, and tried to pull me away.

But I was not leaving him.

'No.' I shouted, as my brother tried to pull me away. 'No, he needs me.'

'Arry. Come away.' Alexander said calmly, but it was obvious that he too, was upset.

'NO!' I screamed.

'Arry, there's nothing you can do.'

'I can't leave him!'

'Arry. Please.' Alexander said, firmly pulling my arms away from James.

His body slumped back against the bed as I released him, and instantly, my arms felt bare. Wrapping my arms around my brother, I screamed into his shoulder, as his own shoulder shook from crying.

He held me tightly as I sobbed.

Nothing had ever been this painful before.

It felt like half of my heart had died with him.

I wanted to die with him, if it meant I could see him again. If I could be with him for one last time.

At that moment, I wanted the fever to take me too. I wanted an end to all the hurt. And I wanted to be back with my husband.

I wanted James back more than anything else in the world.

Alexander had no words of comfort for me, and I had none for him.

So, we just clung to each other as the sun rose, and the first day without James began.

* * *

Alexander managed to move me to my bedroom. Although how he did it was beyond me.

I didn't notice him pulling me along, towards the door. All my thoughts we focused on my grief. And how much I wished James was still here.

He set me down on my bed, and tried to get me to lie down. I fought him, but eventually slumped against the cool clean sheets. The sun was now well in the sky, it felt wrong going to sleep now. Even if I had hardly slept.

'Arry, try and get some sleep.' He pleaded, but I shook my head, my hair scratching against the pillows.

'No. He's gone. I can't sleep!' I sobbed, curling up into a ball.

'I'm so sorry Arry. So very sorry.' He said, rubbing my back slightly.

I flinched, and moved away from him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him hold his hands up, far away from me.

I'd lost track of how long had passed. James's had died at daybreak, and it must have been at least an hour to two ago. But I had sobbed the entire time, and the minutes seemed meaningless. My entire life seemed meaningless now. I no longer had James to share it with.

Why was I here, and he wasn't? What had he done to deserve such a fate?

What had I done to deserve having the love of my life ripped away from me?

What had I ever done to deserve any of this?

In the last five years, I had lost both of my parents, my lord and lady, and now my husband. I had been cursed, and banished, and forced to stay silent,

What had I ever done to deserve it?

Why did everything I cared about get taken away from me.

Maybe this was the price for those months of happiness with James. Such joy and love could not continue without a steep price.

Why me?

Why James?

Why hadn't it killed me too?

I wanted it to. I wanted to follow him into the unknown more than anything. I didn't want to feel the pain of being left behind, of knowing he was somewhere I couldn't follow. I wanted the fever to take me, and put an end to all my suffering.

That seemed to be all my life was, suffering. One disaster after another.

First Lady Eleanor, then Sir Henry.

Then Mother.

My mother, the woman who had raised me and loved me like no one else had been taken away from me in the cruelest way. I thought that three years would be enough time for the pain to go away. But it wasn't. There wasn't an amount of time long enough for the pain of losing her to disappear. Not completely.

I remembered her teaching me to read, tucking me in to bed at night, kissing my forehead. She had played with me, chasing me around the garden, sometimes with another baby on her hip. And even with seven siblings, I never once felt like she loved me any less than them. She always had time for me, always a smile.

And I had watched her waste away over the hours the fever had its grip in her.

It had been devastating. For all of us.

And then, Father.

The only parent we had remaining. I still remember the ice cold stab of fear that pierced my heart when I read Alexander's note.

He was our Father. The man who had always been there for us. He'd always protected us.

And he too had wasted away before our eyes.

And now…

James.

He was truly gone.

I was never again going to see that smug smile or those beautiful green eyes. My heart wasn't going to fly whenever I saw him enter a room. He was never going to lean against the doorframe again, his hair falling gently over his forehead.

I was never going to be in his arms any more. Those strong, gentle arms, where I had felt so safe and secure.

Where I had felt so loved.

I was never going to be loved by him again.

Ever.

And he was never going to hear me tell him how much I loved him.

I missed him already. The gaping hole in my heart only seemed to grow with each passing second.

I was going to spend the rest of my life, loving a dead man. Alone, and unloved.

A small hand pressed against my shoulder, and I turned my head slightly, tears rolling down my face, and saw Clara standing behind me, her own eyes lined with tears.

She didn't say anything, but slowly climbed into bed behind me, and wrapped her arms around me, clinging on.

And so, with my sister embracing me, I sobbed, and sobbed, until I had nothing left, only emptiness.

* * *

I lost track of time.

It meant nothing anyway.

What was the point of the passage of time, if James wasn't here to share it with me? What was the use of more hours if the man I loved couldn't be with me?

What was the point of any of it? What was the point of my continued existence?

Every moment was agony. Each second was torture.

I just wanted him back.

That was all.

I would have given anything to have him back. Anything at all. I would have taken his place gladly, if it meant he could have lived.

Hours must have passed, as my room was dark.

I hadn't slept. Not one wink.

I hadn't eaten either.

I had lay in my bed, alone, and watched as the day passed me by.

The emptiness of it consumed me.

Clara had left after a while. She went to go and look after the little ones. And there were still chores to be done; James's death hadn't stopped the other's need for food or clean clothes.

At one point, Richard had come to see me.

He hadn't said much, but just stayed with me. I think he needed it as much as I had. He had admired James, greatly. James was intelligent, and had gone to school, and knew things Richard could have only dreamed of. But he was always kind to my brother, giving him books to read, and showing him how things worked.

Richard did tell me that Alexander had told all of them what had happened, and he and Daniel were looking after the little ones. Gwen had taken it rather hard. She was only eight.

But they had told them not to disturb me. Richard had been allowed because they knew he wouldn't bother me. I didn't think I'd be able to put up with Gwen's cries. I had lost a husband. She hadn't.

I knew that this was unfair of me, but nothing about any of this seemed fair.

James had not deserved this. He had not deserved the pain, or the fear. And I didn't think I deserved this agony.

But, here it was.

It followed me, always present, always pertinent.

And I would have given anything to have it disappear.

I couldn't take it. All the hurt, all the pain.

And the guilt.

Somehow, it felt like my fault. For not calling for Mr Carr sooner, for not noticing that morning that he was ill.

I had just left him, to go off into the village. I hadn't thought.

And now, he was dead.

All those things we were going to do, none of it was ever going to happen now.

None of it.

I only had memories of our short time together. And even they brought me more pain.

I kept thinking back over all the times we had.

The very first time I saw him, looking so very handsome in his smart jacket; his green eyes shining with life. He had teased me, and danced with me, and made me laugh.

That day we had rescued Ella, I remembered clinging to him on the back of his horse, almost laughing with how riding made me feel. My arms had been tight around his waist as we galloped off to save my friend.

When we had seen each other at Ella's wedding. And in the carriage ride, when I had first realised my feelings for him.

But then, I had moved to Milton, and we hardly saw each other.

If I had stayed, if I had kept in touch with him, we might have had more time. Almost two years. We might have had a proper courtship. We might had had a proper wedding, where my family weren't cursed. My father might have been able to walk me down the aisle, in a new dress. And I would have been able to say my marriage vows.

We could have married for love, and not necessity. We might have had children by now.

And he might still be alive.

Why hadn't this version of events happened?

Why did I choose Milton?

Had I done this to him? Did I kill him?

If I had stayed, would James be alive? Would we have been happy for many more years?

Instead, we'd had months.

Three and a half months. That was all.

And only two and half of them had actually felt like a proper marriage.

That was all.

It was over. Finished forever.

Part of me had died with James. The part of me that could love.

It had been torn out of me the moment his soul left his body.

I would never love anyone else like I loved James. I was alone, and was going to remain so for the rest of my life.

A widow.

I was a widow.

At twenty years old.

Nothing seemed worth anything anymore.

James wasn't here. Why should my life continue without him? What was the point?

I had nothing left in me to keep fighting.

I had fought for so long. So many battles, big and small.

Lady Kingston, the people of Milton who said it was wrong of me to teach Isabelle to read. I had fought hunger, and poverty, and I had fought to ensure Bianca knew she wasn't alone. I had fought that Faerie, and then my village.

I had fought for my family, to keep them safe.

I had fought the servants.

But I had lost my fight for James.

I had tried so hard to get his fever down, and I had failed.

And now, I was defeated, and there was no rising from this.

My fighting was done.

I had lost.

I had lost everything.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three.**

Days passed.

It didn't get any easier.

My siblings took it in turns to check on me, and make sure I ate something.

I did it, purely because I didn't have the energy to fight them.

The curtains remained closed for almost the entire time.

The light felt wrong. The world felt wrong.

I wanted to shut the world out, and never be a part of it again.

Alexander told me a few hours into my isolation that Mr Carr and he had sorted nearly everything out. James had been taken out of the house, and the funeral was set for two weeks' time.

After a few days, he then told me he had written up a list of people to invite. I barely looked at it, but nodded. Alexander had said it was mainly people who went to Ashburne with him, and other highborns he found the names of in letters and such. But there was one group of people I wanted to add to that list.

The people of Arton.

They were James's people, the village he had ruled over with kindness and generosity. And for a short time, they had been my people. They needed to say goodbye too. I'd heard nothing but praise for my husband when I had gone to Arton, and I knew they would be upset to hear of his passing.

I thought it would help, to have something to focus on, something to plan for.

But it didn't.

All I could think about was him. He consumed my every thought, my every breath, my every spark of life.

There were times that I'd just break into sobs for no reason, and I was powerless to stop it.

It was all just too much. The pain was too much. Everything was too much.

Even getting out of bed in the morning was too much. I hardly slept, but I still couldn't get up.

And then, after what must have been five or six days, there was a knock at my bedroom door.

I didn't know what time it was, if it was even day or night.

'Marion?' Came a muffled voice. I didn't have the energy to guess which of my siblings it was.

I tried to respond, but the words got stuck in my throat.

I was back to silence, again.

I deserved it, for letting him slip through my fingers. I deserved to have all that silence and pain back on me.

'Marion? Can I come in? I came to see how you're doing.'

Then, I realised that I knew that voice.

And it was not one of my siblings.

I nodded, but obviously there was no response. So, I made a sound that was sort of like a hum, and a moan.

'Hmm-mm.'

The door slowly creaked open, and I saw that it was daylight in the real world. The sunlight streamed into my room, as a familiar person stood in the doorway.

Her hood had been pulled down, as well as her hanker chief, still stained and muddy. Her long raven hair was tied back in that familiar braid, and her hazel eyes betrayed only sadness.

Bianca.

She slowly moved into my room, and I shifted on the bed, so I was sitting up, my back pressed against the headboard.

'I heard.' She said. 'I'm so sorry.'

All it took, were those three words.

And then, the lump in my throat began to rise, and tears stung my eyes.

Sobs wracked my chest as the grief overpowered me, and I just…broke down.

Bianca was there in an instant, her arms wrapping around my shoulders, holding me tightly as I wept. She stroked my hair, and whispered words of comfort to me.

Bianca was here. But James still wasn't.

How long would it take for the longing for him to disappear?

A lifetime? Longer?

But Bianca stayed with me, long enough for the sobs to begin to slowly die down.

'I'm sorry I took so long. But the birds only told me yesterday, so I'm guessing one of your siblings decided to shout for me.' She explained, when I had finally stopped sobbing, and was only softly crying. 'How long has it been?'

'I don't know.' I said, honestly. 'A few days. I think?'

Bianca held me tighter at that.

'You should have called for me before.' She muttered.

'How-'She began.

'Don't!' I shouted.

Bianca looked taken a back at this. I gripped the bed sheets tightly in my fists.

'Don't you dare ask me how I'm doing, or feeling.' I told her. 'That's all anyone ever asks me.'

Bianca nodded soberly.

'I was going to ask; How did it happen?' She said softly.

I groaned in embarrassment.

'Sorry.' I mumbled.

'Don't be. You have every right to be angry and upset.' She told me kindly. 'When my father died, I wanted to do nothing but scream at the world, and hurt everyone. I can only imagine what you're going through.'

'It was the fever.' I told her. 'It took all night. He…passed…at sunrise.'

'Oh.' She sighed, squeezing me tighter.

'I just…miss him…so much.' I sniffled.

'I know. I know you do.' She said comfortingly.

'Three and a half months. That's all the time we had.' I cried.

Bianca rubbed the top of my arms softly.

'I love him.' I sobbed. 'I loved him.'

'He was a good man.' She said. 'He really was. He thought the world of you, even I could see that.'

'I thought you didn't like him.'

'No, I did. It was just too much fun too tease him. He saved you when I couldn't, and I'll be forever grateful to him for that. It just took me some time to…warm up to his methods.'

I just nodded.

'And I saw how happy he made you. I don't think I'd ever seen you so happy with him, even when you were silent. And I want you to be happy.'

'I'll never be happy again.' I admitted, while fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

'You will. One day. I know it feels that way now, but you will get better.'

'No, no it won't.'

'It will. Believe me. It will.'

Bianca shifted on the bed to hold me more comfortably.

'Have you slept? At all.' She asked quietly.

'I can't.' I told her.

'Sleep. You need to try.'

'I can't.' I repeated.

'Please. For me. Try.'

'Will you stay?' I asked, my lip trembling. 'Please?'

Bianca nodded.

'I'll stay as long as you need me to.' She told me.

She released me, and I shifted so I was laying down in the bed.

Bianca lay down beside me, and I felt her fingers softly stroke my hair, soothing me.

The exhaustion and pain had finally taken its toll on me, and I could feel the drowsiness consume me.

I closed my eyes, and waited for the darkness to take me.

But, just before it did, I mumbled.

'Talk to Alexander.' I whispered.

'Why?'

'Because….' I muttered. 'We met Scarlett.'

I felt Bianca freeze behind me.

'Scar?'

I wanted to respond, but the exhaustion had settled in me, and I found myself unable to. The sweet release of sleep had finally taken me.

And I slept for the first time since James's death.

* * *

I awoke hours later, alone.

The curtain had been drawn back a little, and it was clear that it was sunset. Or sunrise. The pale light filtered through into the room.

There were sounds coming from the entrance hall. Sounds of people talking.

I didn't know how long I had slept, but I was grateful I had been able to.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout from downstairs, and a crash.

Without thinking, I darted out of bed, and threw open the door.

'I…I just…'

'Don't you dare!'

'But…Please…'

I ran down the corridor, and was met with a very strange sight indeed.

Alexander was pushed up against a wall, his eyes wide with fear. And Bianca was the one holding him there, her arm pressed against the base of his neck.

Daniel was stood behind her, but he looked too shocked to do anything. As was Clara and Richard

Bianca was attacking my brother, for some reason.

I moved without thinking about it.

'We…We only…' Alexander stuttered.

'If you so much as-' Bianca growled.

'What is going on?' I asked quietly;

All five of them turned to face me.

'Marion! You're awake!' Bianca cried, not releasing my brother. 'Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you.'

'What is going on?' I repeated, slightly louder this time.

'She knows about Alexander and Scarlett.' Clara explained.

'If you so much as harm a single hair on her head, I swear by hell, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and kill you.' Bianca threatened.

'I don't want to hurt her. I'd never hurt her.' Alexander stuttered.

'Then what exactly do you intend?'

'I don't know. To see her again?'

'But does she want to see you? Are you pestering her?'

'No! I mean…Yes! She said she wants to see me! Ask Arry, she'll tell you.'

Bianca's eyes flared.

'I will not be asking Marion anything! Let her be!'

At that, she released Alexander, and turned to me.

'You should be asleep.' She said softly.

'I heard voices.' I said weakly. My sleep addled daze was still very much upon me.

But I didn't let her know what really had been my first thought on hearing the voices.

For a split second, for just a moment, I thought he was back. I had heard his voice so many times in that hall, that I had hoped that….

But it didn't matter what I had hoped for. He wasn't coming back.

He was dead, and there was no coming back from that.

I had no hope, none at all.

Not anymore.

Before I had realised what was happening, I felt a hand on my arm.

'Come on, you need more sleep.' Bianca urged, trying to guide me back along the corridor.

Even though I had just slept, I was still exhausted. Just as there was no amount of happiness that could lift me, there seemed to be no amount of sleep could shift my bone weary exhaustion.

'Marion, you need to sleep. And eat.'

I shook my head slowly at that, even as I stumbled back down the corridor.

'I ca…can't' I told her.

'You must. Marion, you really have to try.'

'I'm not hungry.' I protested.

'You've hardly eaten in days.'

'I jus…I just can't.'

'Just try. For your family. They need you.'

I wasn't sure what it was about those words that made me snap, but it did.

'And I need him, but I can't have that can I?' I yelled at her.

Behind me, I heard the sound of my sibling's cease, and silence fall.

Even Bianca froze at my tone.

'I get nothing! He's gone. The rest of my life is going to be living with this misery, so why should it continue?' I shouted.

My breathing became shallower, and sobs began to rise in my chest, reaching my throat.

'He's just gone. And then he's going to disappear, from my mind, from my memory. What happens when I can't remember his smile, or his laugh, or the green of his eyes? What happens when I fail him again?'

'You won't.' Bianca assured me.

There was just too much, everything was too much.

The sobs wracked my chest, and my knees failed beneath me as I sank to the floor. The impact on my weakened bones shot pain through me as I collapsed, unable to stand any more.

I felt Bianca's hands on my shoulders, unable to see them through the tears that clouded my eyes.

'Marion, listen to me.' She insisted, holding me firmly. 'I know this feels like the end of everything for you, but it's not. You will get past this.'

'No.' I moaned.

'You will.' She told me. 'You will never forget him. And he's not gone forever.'

The tears were uncontrollable now, every second more of my soul wept.

'James will never leave you. Not ever. He will live on, through you, for all the days of your life. He'll be part the day's you've yet to live. He's holding on to you, just as tightly as you're holding on to him. But he can't hold on if you're gone.'

'I…just…I just can't.'

'You can't let this defeat you. I won't let this defeat you! You must fight to keep him there, within you.' Bianca cried. 'He can live as you carry on your life. But that means having a life to carry on living. And I know it's hard. It's so impossibly hard. But Marion, there is no other way.'

My chest constricted so tightly I though my heart was going to burst. Screaming through my sobs, I fell forward, and Bianca caught me.

'He would want you to go on. Marion, he loved you more than anything. He would hate to see you like this. He would want you to be happy, and he certainly wouldn't want you to give up. You're a fighter, you always have been. You lost this battle, but this will not define you. The best way to honour his memory is to keep fighting. For him, for your family, for everyone.

'I...can't. Not yet.' I admitted, through the tears.

Bianca nodded.

'Not yet. But one day, you have the fire back.'

'It..it took everything…from me…' I sobbed. 'I thought…that our love…would protect us.'

'I know.'

'The promises…our wedding vows…I never thought it would…end this way. I gave…everything…with all my heart.' I cried. 'And…it still happened…this way.'

'The world is cruel. He deserved better, you deserved better.' She told me. 'But, you can't change the way things went. You can only move forward.'

Suddenly, there was a might crash that echoed around the hall, startling us all.

It was immediately followed by another, and it took me several moments to work out that it was someone banging on the door.

Blinking away my tears, I observed Bianca properly for the first time since I had woken. Her face was paler than usual, and her eyes were wide with terror.

I recognised that expression straight away.

I had only seen that face once before, when we had almost been caught by the Duchess's guards.

Before I knew it, Alexander was behind Bianca, grabbing her arm, and pulling her up.

'Go. Hide.' He whispered urgently, grabbing me with his other arm.

Both of us, scrambled to our feet, and Bianca grabbed my hand, before pulling me along to my bedroom. I almost tripped several times before Bianca slammed the door shut behind me and guided me onto my bed.

'Stay here. You're grieving, so they'll believe this. You don't know who I am, you have never heard of me. And if they catch me, say I threatened you, or that you have never seen me before.'

I opened my mouth, but Bianca placed her hand over it, effectively cutting me off.

'I'm not arguing. If I'm caught, save yourself. There's nothing you can do.'

I hadn't wanted to argue with her, only to voice my shock at hearing her say this. I had meant what I had told her earlier, that all the fight had gone out of me. I had nothing left to give.

Bianca dove under the bed, and disappeared from sight within moment.

The loud knock at the door sounded again, and I held my breath in anticipation. My brother must have been frantically trying to come up with a story, or hiding evidence.

But finally, the door below me swung open, and the sounds of muffled conversation drifted up through the floor boards.

It was impossible to make out what they were saying, but both voices sounded male. Alexander must have been one, but as for the other, I had no idea.

The moment's dragged on and on, and every second, my terror grew.

What if someone knew that she was here? What would they do to her?

She had been chained up the last time she had been caught. Chained up like an animal. And if Nerissa was cruel enough to frame her for her father's death, I had no doubt that she would not hesitate to do whatever was necessary to get rid of Bianca. Anything at all.

The voices from the hall began to build, and I was almost certain that someone else had joined the conversation. Most likely Daniel. Bianca didn't move a single muscle, I couldn't even hear her breathing, even though I was certain that she must have been terrified.

The muffled voices started to grow louder, and after a minute, I knew they it had escalated into an argument. Although it was almost impossible to tell what they were actually saying, the tone ad volume of the words made the meaning very clear.

'Bianca?' I whispered into the empty room.

There was no response. But I continued anyway.

'I'm going to open the door. Stay quiet.' I murmured, and climbed slowly out of bed. I crept across the floorboards, creaking and groaning under my weight. My heart pounded and the shouting only grew louder as I approached the door.

I just had to know. I had to know what was going on.

Reaching for the handle, I slowly pulled open the door.

'That is ridiculous.'

'That's the law.'

That last voice was unfamiliar to me. Deep and masculine.

'It's so unfair. Do you not have any compassion? Any humanity?'

'I can't do anything about it. I just deliver the order. You have three days. And please give my condolences to Lady Thorne. I really am very sorry.'

'If you're sorry, then you wouldn't be doing this!' Alexander shouted.

'Please? Is there nothing you can do?' Daniel begged.

There was a long pause, and then Alexander yelled. 'Get out!'

'I'm sorry bu-'

'OUT NOW!' He screamed. 'Three days, it's still ours for three days!'

The front door slammed shut with an almighty crash, and Alexander let out a pained sound of frustration. Then a muffled bang sounded, making me jump.

'Alexander, it's not….'

'Don't say it's not my fault. Arry's been through enough. She doesn't deserve this.' Alexander cried.

'You tried-' Daniel reasoned.

'But I failed! I failed Arry, I failed James, I failed all over again.' Alexander yelled.

The two of them fell silent, and I heard a small noise behind me.

'Have they gone?' Bianca asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

'I think so.' I replied. 'But…It doesn't sound good.'

In truth, my mind was racing with what the man at the door could have possibly told my brother to make him so angry and upset. Something had happened to make him feel like he had failed me somehow.

Bianca let out a sigh of relief at the news. Pulling the door open further, we were met with Alexander stood at the end of the corridor. The expression on his face told the whole story.

He ran his hand through his hair, and he took a shaky step towards us.

'That was…it was…' He started, but his gaze fell to the floor.

I simply waited for my brother to continue, unable to find the words to ask him more.

'It was the bailiff. Sent from…Sir Reid.' Alexander said, just as Daniel made his way up the stairs to stand behind Alexander.

'Who?' I asked.

'Sir Reid? Joseph Reid?' Bianca asked.

Alexander nodded.

'How do you know him?' Alexander asked.

'He attended my father's court, and no doubt Nerissa's court as well. Why did he send a bailiff?' Bianca said.

Alexander sighed.

'Because… He is James's second cousin. And…his heir.'

The words took a few moments to sink in.

I hadn't even thought about that. About anything like that.

James's death meant many things would change. Things I hadn't ever thought about. Not just for me, but for other people.

The people of Arton would have a new lord; James's heir.

The new lord of the manor.

This manor.

As James heir, this house would now belong to him. And everything in it.

Which meant, that this was no longer mine. The manor house now belonged to someone else.

'He wants us out, in three days.' Alexander explained.

'What?' I asked.

We had to leave.

I had to leave.

This was the place I had been so happy. This was where James and I had fallen in love, the place I had lost my maidenhood, the place where he had died.

And I was being forced to leave.

'Or at least, his wife wants us out.' Alexander told me.

Then, it hit me.

I had met the new lady of the manor, at the ball.

Lady Caroline. Friends with Imogen Clifton. Who hated me for stealing James away from her.

And the feeling was mutual.

Lady Caroline was going to take my place.

She was the new lady of Arton. The new ruler of my people.

She was going to sleep in my bed, and sit in my drawing room, and walk around my garden.

And her husband was going to take James's place. James's rightful place.

'She can't. She can't do this.' I protested. 'We have to stay. I can't leave him now. I can't…I just can't.'

'You don't have a choice.' Bianca muttered from behind me.

I turned to face her, to see the defeat in her eyes.

'But…I can't.'

'It's the law. A very unfair law in this case, but it's the law. Widow's get next to nothing.' She explained.

'What do you mean 'In this case'? How could it ever be fair?' Daniel cried. 'Marion should be allowed to stay here!'

Bianca fell silent, but we all knew there was something on her mind.

'You think the law is fair?' Alexander asked incredulously.

Bianca looked rather uncomfortable.

'How could you?' Alexander cried.

'Because Nerissa deserves nothing!' She shouted. 'It's unfair to Marion, but it's perfectly justified for her! She tried to have me killed, and she still has hold of Scarlett. That law gives me my birth right, which that bitch stole from me. So, yes, call me a horrid person for thinking that in some cases, it's justified. Not here, but sometimes.'

We all stood shocked for a few moments. Bianca turned to me, and inhaled deeply.

'I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do. Without becoming like her, and trying to get rid of Sir Reid. And I know it's hard, but that's the way it is. And I hate them for doing this to you, I really do, however they are legally allowed to do this.'

I felt sick, actually sick.

Not at Bianca, as I knew that what she was saying was true. But that Lady Caroline could be so heartless as to force me out of my own home only days after James…after James…

'But…But…I don't want to go. James is here…He's everywhere here…My pillow still…still smells of him.' I breathed.

'You shouldn't have to go.' Alexander argued. 'But I don't think we have much of a choice.'

'No.' I cried. 'No, no. No!'

'Arry, we have to. We have to go back to Rault.'

'No. I can't leave him. Not before the funeral.'

'We'll come back for the funeral. But we have to go back.' Alexander told me.

'I have to stay. I want to stay. They tried to kill us!' I reminded him. I could feel terror rising with every passing moment.

'When they were cursed. But it's over now, it's been over for weeks. And we can't stay here.'

'But this is James's house. And he said what was his was mine. He promised me!' I cried.

None of them had any words of condolence for me. Nothing to soothe me, nothing to convince me otherwise.

'Can you…write,' I sobbed, 'To Ella. She…might be able…to help. Christopher will…be the Duke one…day. They could…stop this.'

Through my tears, I saw Alexander nod.

'I don't want to go.' I whimpered, but all their faces showed me that it wasn't going to be possible.

We had to leave. The one place I had been happy in months. I had to close this chapter of my life forever. Only days after James's death, I was going to be forced out of my own home again.

And I had thought all hope had been gone then. Now…Now it was so much worse. This time, I had not the slightly hope that I would ever be happy again.

This was going to be the rest of my life, misery in that tiny cottage in Rault, alone and unloved, while I watched as someone else took James's and my place.

We had to go home, and I had to let James go. For good.

We had to go home.

* * *

Two days passed, and we heard nothing.

Alexander had written to Ella and Christopher, and we'd had no reply.

Nothing.

They weren't going to help us. We had to leave. We had to leave the manor forever.

Bianca had stayed with us, for the very first time. She had slept in one of the servant rooms, hidden in the cellar. At least I had one true friend in the world.

Alexander had broken the news to the others, and Gwen and Robbie had screamed that they wanted to stay. They liked living in the large manor, and didn't want to go back to the tiny cramped cottage.

But we had nowhere else to go. At least this time, when we were being forced out of our home, we at least had a direction to go in.

But it didn't make it any less painful.

I just felt empty. I thought I had nothing left to lose, and this hit me hard.

I wouldn't be able to have anything of his around to comfort me. I wouldn't be able to grieve for him the one place I had been happy. I wouldn't be able to cling to his pillow a night anymore, wouldn't be able to wear one of his shirts to sleep in, wouldn't be able to keep his pages and hear his voice in his words.

This house had been the only place I had felt safe in months. After the running from Rault and the terror, James's home had been the one place that I hadn't felt like I was going to get hurt.

And now, I wouldn't even have that.

Alexander and Daniel had been incredible about the whole thing. They had controlled the little ones, and packed up all of their belongings, and organized a cart to arrive to take us back to Rault. There would be no driver, as Bianca was going with us, and we didn't need any more people to know about her.

And I…had been worse than useless.

I had stayed in bed most of the time, crying and sitting in silence.

It somehow still didn't seem quite real to me. Any of it. Sometimes, I just thought it was all a bad dream that I would wake from and discover him there, lying next to me, with his chest rising and falling, and those beautiful green eyes full of life like they always were.

And I tried. I really did try to get out of bed and help them. But every time I got to door, something dragged me back. Now that I knew I had a limited amount of time in that room, I didn't want to leave.

But, the time came, as we knew it would.

And we had to leave.

We had to go home.

We waited until the very last moment; the evening before the third day.

Everything was packed, not that we had much to pack, and the rest was all sorted in the house. James's clothes had been packed up, as we highly doubted that Sir Reid would be in need of them. I had rather selfishly kept a few of his shirts. And we had stolen several books from the library. From my limited experience of Lady Caroline, I guessed they wouldn't be missed. I had also taken most of the highborn dresses that James had given me after the wedding.

But there were two dresses I hadn't been able to take with me.

The dress I had worn when he had died. I never wanted to see that again. It was too painful.

And my new ball gown. The sapphire blue one that I had worn to Ella's ball. That night had been full of highs and lows, and all of them revolved around James. It was just too much to have to keep it.

So, I had gotten rid of it. Or at least given it to someone who would appreciate it.

Isabelle.

I hadn't seen her in so long, and I missed her. And Amelia too. But I knew Amelia was slightly tall than me, and wider, so it seemed easier to give it to Isabelle.

But all my other dresses had been packed by Bianca or Clara and loaded onto the cart, along with my other belonging.

As the sun set on the day before we had to leave, all nine of us took our places on the cart, and Daniel drove the horses away.

I just couldn't tear my eyes away as we drove away from the manor house as moved further and further away from it, and I knew it was going to be the last time I ever saw it.

I had been so happy there. So happy, and loved and safe and…everything about it screamed of him. Of his life.

And I was never going to see it again.

The tears fell from my eyes as we moved down the path and into the forest. Bianca wrapped her arms around me and held on as I sobbed, leaving behind the one bit of James I had left.

It was all just too much. I just couldn't take it.

But Gwen crawled into my lap, and rested her head on my shoulder. I clung to my baby sister, and left Thorne manor forever.

And left that life behind me.

And left James behind me.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four.**

I hated Rault.

I hated my home.

Everything was wrong.

Nothing was the same.

I had lived in this village for almost my entire life. Eighteen years. I had walked these paths, and gone to this market, and slept within these very walls.

But everything was so different now.

Everything had changed. I had changed.

I was no longer the carefree fierce young girl I had been when I had been living here before. I wasn't the servant girl who worked at the manor, I was not the girl who took over from her mother.

Now, I was…a widow.

I was a woman, no longer a girl. I was no longer care free and I was certainly no longer fierce.

That part of me had gone now.

I had nothing left to fight for. Nothing to be fierce about.

My family was what I had been fierce about. And James had been a large part of it. With him gone, I just couldn't find it within me to fight anymore. No matter how much Bianca told me to.

Bianca was staying with us, and was going to stay with us for as long as I needed it. We had hidden her away from the other people of Rault. A small part of me had wanted her to leave, just so I didn't feel so guilty about keeping her in a place where she could be discovered so easily. But she had told me many times that making sure I was alright was worth the risk.

I think that she also had another reason for staying.

She wanted to know more about my brother.

Or more specifically, she wanted to know more about the person who had fallen head over heels in love with her sister. Alexander hadn't admitted that he was in love with Scarlett, but it was plainly obvious. Even in my distracted state, I could tell that.

Alexander had been the most amazing help as well. He had taken care of almost everything to do with the funeral, and controlled the little ones. Gwen had taken to climbing into bed with me once again. She clearly missed him too. And I really think she had looked up to him. She had lost both her parents before she was nine, and now she had lost another important adult in her life.

We had all lost him. Not just me. He had been a part of our family. He had been so much more than my husband; he had been their brother too. And I think I had forgotten that. It wasn't just me grieving. This was so much bigger than just me.

And somehow, that made it just a little easier.

But it still wasn't easy.

Nothing about this was easy.

And there was one glaring thing that annoyed me more than anything else.

The villagers.

They all seemed…afraid of me.

I knew that things had changed between us, since the curse. They had forced me and my family out of our home, out the place we had felt safe when we needed the most help. And while I knew that they had no choice in the matter, they all clearly blamed themselves for what had happened.

We'd had many knocks at the door in the days after we had returned. Many people had come to apologise, but I think in truth, most people wanted to know why we had returned so suddenly. And as soon as they learnt of our situation, we had been drowned in their wishes of condolences. I was almost certain that it had become the talk of the village within minutes.

And part of me hated them for it. It was bad enough that I was grieving and heartbroken, but now I was the object of pity. Some of them even started calling me Lady Thorne, and not Marion. Bianca had pointed out that I would get to keep the title, for the rest of my life, unless I got married again. But that was clearly never going to be an option for me.

I was now a highborn. A dowager, but still a highborn. I outranked everyone in the village. And they all acted like it now.

But, the week ended and we all prepared to leave again. We were going back to Arton, just for the day.

For the…funeral.

For his funeral.

The cart was booked for the next morning, all the arrangements were in place, everyone had been invited.

And we were all about as ready as we could have been for it.

Until the night before.

The night, when everything changed.

It was early evening, and I had been sat about, not really doing anything. That was all I ever seemed to do, just sit and think. My family were all busying themselves making dinner or preparing for the next day, and I just sat alone in the girl's bedroom thinking.

And then, the sound reached my ears.

Horses. And wheels.

Pulling to a stop right outside the cottage. I heard the door to my parent's bedroom immediately close. Bianca had been staying in that room, as it was the only spare bed we had, and she had a habit of hiding in there when anyone came to the house. She hadn't been discovered yet.

And I found that I already knew who was outside the door without having to look at it.

A loud and urgent knock sounded, and the front door creaked open, just as I moved to open the door to my bedroom.

There, in the doorway, with red eyes and tears running down his face, stood a familiar man

Christopher.

He sobbed as he saw me, and instantly began moving toward me, his throat bobbing. He pulled me into his arms and clung to me as he wept.

And that was all it took to make the lump rise in my own throat.

I don't know how long exactly we both stood there, clinging to each other, grieving the man we had both cared so deeply about.

James had been his best friend. The one who had been with him since the first day of school together. He had stood by Christopher's side at his wedding, and the christening of his son. And while I was grieving for the man I had loved with all my heart, he was grieving for the boy he had known most of his life.

'He's…I can't believe….I'm so sorry…I just can't….' Christopher cried, hot tears splashing onto the shoulder of my dress.

I couldn't find any words. Nothing of comfort to say to him, nothing to soothe his aching heart.

After a while, we both seemed to run out of tears to cry, and we broke apart.

Alexander had herded most of my siblings out of the door, and managed to get them to run around outside for a little while, so we could have space to talk. He subtlely gestured to the room where Bianca was hiding, and I knew that he would find a way to sneak her out if I wanted to talk to Christopher in private. I shook my head slowly.

Bianca had gone through enough, and being outside where she could be spotted more easily was something I didn't have to put her through.

I sniffled and pulled away from Christopher, and finally managed to look over his shoulder to discover the other person who was stood in the doorway.

Her eyes were also bloodshot, and her usual perfect golden hair was a mess.

She whimpered a little as she met my gaze, her hands resting on her growing belly, visible through her loose dress.

Ella.

My childhood friend.

Christopher noticed that I was staring at her, and took a step away from me, but I didn't look at him.

I only stared at her.

She released a ragged breath, and almost ran towards me, flinging her arms out wide to embrace me.

But I acted without thinking.

And stepped back, out of her reach.

Her fingers skimmed my shoulder, and they felt like they were burning me.

I still couldn't stop staring at her.

She looked shocked, that I had stepped away from her. That I had embraced her husband, but shunned her.

But there was a very, very good reason for that.

I was amazed that she would think that nothing had changed.

'Marion?' She asked quietly, genuine confusion lining her face. Even Christopher looked stunned by my reaction.

'I'm so sorry, about James. He was a great man, and I can't believe he is gone.' She cried. 'And I'm so sorry about you and your family.'

My family.

Those were the words she said.

The words that changed everything.

My family.

'Don't. You. Dare.' I spat out.

Rage was rising within me with every passing second.

My family.

They were the one and only thing I had ever fought for.

And I had thought I had lost that fight, but as soon as Ella had said those words, I found more fight than I had ever had before.

'What?' She asked shocked.

'Don't you dare say you are sorry about James.' I uttered through gritted teeth.

Ella paled, and her eyes went wide.

'I don't understand. Marion, what's wrong?' She asked.

'What's wrong?' I shouted, sensing the tears building in my eyes again. 'What's wrong! My husband is dead, and you ask me what is wrong!'

'Yes, and I'm so sorry for your loss. More than you could ever know.' She told me.

'How dare you possibly be sorry. You killed him. DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU KILLED HIM!' I yelled, just as a great rasping sob wracked my chest.

Ella looked like she was going to be sick. Her mouth fell open and she looked terrified.

'That stupid ball! If we hadn't gone to you ball, James would have never caught the fever. He would be here right now, with me.'

'That's not fair.' Christopher shouted at me. 'Ella couldn't possibly have known that. No one could have.'

I turned to him, and stared at him directly in his eyes. I had once been so terrified of him, so scared of offending the man who was going to be the future Duke. But now, I couldn't care less. What did it matter about the future? James wasn't here to share it with me. He was gone, because of the bitch that stood in front of me.

'She knew.' I told him, and then turned back to Ella.

'You knew that Duke William and Jonathan were sick, and even Christopher told you to cancel the ball. You spent the entire night running back up to the nursery, so what was even the point! If you had thought, for just one minute, you would have seen that having the ball when there were sick people was dangerous. You had the ball anyway, and James died because of it!' I told her, forcibly wiping the tears from my eyes.

'I never meant…Surely you must…know that I never…'

'I don't care what you meant. The fact is that he is dead, and it's done. You just couldn't resist could you? Being the hostess, and having all those highborns at your celebration. No lowborns, I noticed. There were highborns there that you didn't even know! You've turned into Lady Kingston, making connection and hosting parties. It's all you care about!'

'You were there. And so were your family.'

'James was there, so we were only there because of him. I can't believe you…That you've become this…this…' I shouted.

I couldn't find the word to describe her. Nothing I could ever say about her would do justice to the hatred I felt for her in that moment.

This woman had killed James. She was responsible for his death, for his suffering, for my suffering.

'And, you abandoned me, yet again.' I yelled.

Ella fell silent, and her gaze dropped to the floor.

'We wrote to you, when the bailiff came. We begged you to help. I was forced out of the manor. I was forced out of our home, and you did nothing.'

Ella lifted her head slowly, and I saw the tears running down her face.

'We…We've been grieving too.' She said.

'Don't you dare say-'

'Duke William.' She interrupted me.

I fell silent in shock and glanced to Christopher, who too was crying now.

'What?' I asked him.

'He died just before James, the day after the ball.' Ella explained.

Christopher looked defeated. Utterly broken.

His father and his best friend had both died within hours of each other. There was no amount of grief that could even come close to that.

'I'm…I'm so sorry.' I told him, my voice breaking.

Christopher nodded in thanks, but he lifted his head up to look at his wife.

'Why didn't you cancel the ball. I told you too!' I cried.

Ella sank to her knees at her husband's accusation. Her expression showed that she had been expecting him to support her in this, but he hadn't.

'I never meant to…I swear, I just…I didn't think.' She sobbed.

'Why don't you think?' I shouted. 'You never think! Everything has just worked out perfectly for you! You've always just waited for someone else to clean up your mess!'

Ella moaned in pain, but lifted her head to look at me.

'I rescued you from the manor. Even though you could have left months before that. You chose to stay, because having someone rescue you was easier than bothering to do something about your situation. I offered, so many times in that year to get you out.' I told her.

The tears were freely falling from my eyes now. And there was nothing I could do to stop them.

'And then, when I needed help, when I lost my home and my safety. Both times you failed to help me. Even in the slightest. The people of Rault almost killed us, and you couldn't even be bothered to open a letter and send someone to help. And now! I've been forced out again. I lost the love of my life, the one person who made me happy, and I can't even stay in the same house. I have lost everything, and you did nothing!'

Ella screamed through her sobs.

'Marion…Please! I didn't…I never meant to…. You're my friend!'

I shook my head.

'You're not my friend. If you had been, you would have helped. Or at least been there for me, like I was for you.' I spat.

'Marion…I think you're being a little unfair.' Christopher added quietly.

'Am I? Truly? AM I SUPPOSED TO BE FAIR WHEN I'M MADE A WIDOW AT TWENTY YEARS OLD? AM I SUPPOSED TO THANK HER FOR CAUSING JAMES'S DEATH? HOW IS ANY OF THIS FAIR?' I yelled at him.

'You have your perfect husband, a secure home, a perfect son, and another one on the way,' I told her, 'And I..I have…nothing. I am…never going…to be happy…or loved...again. So don't you dare tell me you…are sorry for James's death.' I sobbed.

'Marion please…' Ella begged.

But I had had enough.

I was done with all of it.

Ella had crossed the line.

And I couldn't forgive her for it.

In my mind, she had always been a perfect angel. Someone who was kind and courageous and would come through for me no matter what. But, she never had.

When I had begged her for help in the forest, she had done nothing until after I had married James. After someone else had saved me. And now, she had the nerve to be upset about his passing, when she had caused it.

The image of her I had kept so close to my heart all these year, finally smashed, and I saw her for what she truly was.

And I hated her for it.

'Get out.' I told her quietly.

Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide with shock.

'Marion…please…I'm so sorry…So very sorry.'

'I don't want to hear it!' I yelled. I couldn't stand to hear her apologies. I couldn't stand to look at her, with her perfect life, and perfect family, and her perfect marriage.

It was all just too much.

It was something I was never going to have. Ever.

I couldn't take it anymore.

'Out!' I screamed.

Ella scrambled to her feet, and looked pleadingly at her husband. Christopher's face betrayed only pain. So, with her lip trembling and tears pouring from her eyes, Ella turned slowly away from me, and walked out of the door.

I almost collapsed as soon as I heard her get in the carriage.

'I should…I should go…' Christopher murmured, but it was clear he was still in a daze. And he was rightfully confused. I didn't know whose side he was taking in this. I think part of him thought that I was justified. Ella had known that she should have cancelled the party, but she was his wife, and the mother of his children.

'I'm…I'm sorry. About…your father….' I told him, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

Christopher nodded gratefully.

'Thank you. And I truly am so sorry...about James.' He said.

Then, he made a move towards the door. But just as he got to the doorframe, he turned his head back around.

'I would like to go to the funeral. If I'm still invited?' He asked.

I nodded. Of course he was still invited. He had been James's closest friend.

'And, can Ella come. She was his friend too. I'll keep her away from you, but I know she wants to say goodbye to him.'

And while I wanted to never see her again, I was not so heartless that I wouldn't let a grieving friend say goodbye.

So, I nodded, and Christopher let out a relieved sigh.

'I really am sorry Marion. He loved you, so much.' He told me, and then walked out the door, his shoulders shaking.

The door closed shut behind me, and I just couldn't take it anymore.

My knees collapsed beneath me, and I sank to the floor, screaming as I did.

I had lost Ella. The one person from Rault who I respected above all others. And I had lost her forever.

Hardly noticing the door behind me opening, I sobbed and cried as someone knelt on the floor beside me and held me as I screamed.

Bianca rocked me back and forth in her arms.

'You were so brave.' She whispered. 'You got your fight back!'

And while I was still so upset over what had just transpired, I realised she was right.

I had my flame back. The one I thought had disappeared forever.

My anger at Ella had made me want to fight again. To live again.

Overcome with too many emotions, I wept on the floor, as my true friend held me.

And I knew, she would never let me go.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five.**

The day of the funeral arrived.

The darkest day of my life.

I hadn't slept the night before. A combination of my grief at losing James, and my argument with Ella kept me up all night.

I didn't know what had come over me. Part of me knew that what I had said to her was unjustified, but I didn't care. She hadn't done anything to help me when I needed it most. That was her choice.

She had brought this upon herself.

But I knew I had to put her out of my mind.

Today was about one person, and one person only.

It was time to say goodbye to him. Forever.

I had to say goodbye to James.

The skies were cloudy that day, and the air, chilled. It was as if the heavens themselves knew this was a dark day for us all.

I dressed in a black dress that one of the village widows had lent me. Alexander and Daniel dressed in Father's old things, that were still remarkably in the cottage. The others all found the darkest thing they owned. Even Bianca wore a black ribbon in her hair.

She wasn't going to attend the funeral, but she was going to accompany us on the journey. Although she couldn't be seen, she wanted to say goodbye to James in her own way. So, she was going to wait in the trees outside the graveyard, and listen.

I felt numb. Completely numb. It was hard to believe the day was finally here.

I was herded into the back of the cart with my siblings, and Alexander and Bianca sat at the front and drove us away.

The cart rattled on through the forest. I stayed silent the entire time.

I didn't want to talk to anyone. Daniel and Clara tried to cheer me up, but to no avail.

There was nothing that could pull me out of my mood.

The entire hour passed, and the cart finally pulled to a stop just outside the village. Glancing off to my right, I could see through the trees, Thorne manor. My former home, and now owned by the new lord of the manor.

Bianca jumped off the front of the cart, and moved around to the back.

She reached forward and grabbed my hand.

'You are strong, and brave. Don't ever forget that.' She told me. 'And I know this is going to be hard, but I know James would be so proud of you. I'll be just through there, if you need me. I'll be there for you.'

I nodded in understanding, and she let go, before pulling her hood up, and darting into the forest and out of sight.

My spirits sank as she left. During the past week, she had been the strength I had come to rely on. She had held me while I cried, she had told me to be brave, she had supported me through all of this.

It felt like my strongest limb was leaving me as I watched her disappear from sight.

Clara grasped my hand to stop it from shaking and nodded subtlely at me. My sister was going to support me. They were all going to support me. I was going to get through this.

Daniel started the horses again, and we rolled off, down into Arton.

There were already people at the graveyard by the time we got there. Many people of Arton greeted me, and offered me their condolences. I recognized the innkeeper's wife, and the butcher, and the owner of the dressmaker's shop.

They all told me how sorry they were to hear of his death. But I offered them my condolences too. They had lost their lord, who they had no doubt known for most of their lives. As much as I loved James, I had only really known him for a few short months.

I tried to be polite. I really did. But my heart just wasn't in it.

More and more people kept arriving during the following hour, slowly filling up the graveyard. I knew he had been well respected, but I didn't think the entire village would attend his funeral.

I was touched, truly touched, by how they had all come to say goodbye.

And then, the carriages began arriving.

The highborns Alexander had invited slowly began to join the crowd.

And then, a familiar highborn began to make his way towards me.

I let out a sort of broken whimper when I saw the friendly face of Antony walking toward me.

'Hello Marion.' He said, embracing me tightly.

'Thank you for coming.' I managed to utter.

'Of course.' He said, pulling back slightly. 'I wouldn't miss this for the world.'

As I studied his face, it became very obvious that he had been crying recently. His brown eyes were raw and red.

'I…I don't have the words...' He began. 'To tell you…how devastated I was…when I heard.'

I just nodded, knowing exactly how he must have felt.

'Did he…Was he in…much pain?' Antony asked with a shaking breath.

I nodded a little.

'It was…so sudden. But the physician, he gave him…something to soothe him…at the end. He…passed….while sleeping.' I said, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

Antony covered his face with his hands, and I saw his shoulders shake slightly.

'He…I just can't believe that he's gone. He was always so…full of life.' He said.

I nodded in agreement. James was certainly that.

'He really cared for you. For the three of you.' I told him.

Antony murmured his agreement.

'Yes. And I can almost see him now. He'll be looking down from where ever he is, no doubt denying that he ever liked us. Or he'd be shouting at me to step away from his wife.'

I huffed a sad laugh. That did sound like him.

'Yes. He would.' I agreed.

'Can I...Is it rude to ask…But did you sort out, your disagreement? After the ball?' Antony asked.

I nodded.

He sighed in relief.

'Good. With everything that happened, it's good to know that was at least cleared up. I'd hate to think that…he…that he…passed… and you thought he didn't…love you.' Antony explained, his voice breaking a little.

That was all it took to make my own tears start.

'I knew. I knew…he loved me…and he knew that…I loved him. I just…I just miss him…so much' I cried.

'I miss him too. He was a good friend. And one of…the best men…I ever had…the privilege to know.' Antony sobbed.

We both found ourselves in each other's arms again as we both cried.

'He was twenty-four! Only Twenty-four years old!' Antony cried. 'It's…It's just too cruel He deserved more time.'

We both struggled to find the words as we wept. It was only when a gentle hand pulled on Antony's shoulder did we break apart, to see Christopher stood beside us, in all black, his eyes silver lined.

Ella was nowhere to be seen.

And I was grateful.

'It's time.' Christopher said, gesturing to the priest who had just arrived and was stood at the edge of the graveyard, next to a large carriage.

My stomach dropped.

This was it.

Fear, and devastation mingled within me. And I wasn't sure I could do this.

I wasn't ready to say goodbye.

I couldn't. It was too soon.

But, I knew I had no choice. James was gone, and this was the only chance I was ever going to get.

The three of us made our way slowly over to the priest, and my heart hammered loudly, and there was such ringing in my ears. My hands were shaking and the lump in my throat rose ever higher with every passing second.

We emerged out of the crowd, and were met by Alexander and Daniel, who were already talking with the priest. I hung back slightly, and let them discuss whatever detail they were talking about.

But then, my gaze fixed on the carriage behind them.

And the large coffin that lay inside.

I knew exactly who lay underneath that lid. I knew his face so well. That head of dark brown, slightly too long and slightly curling hair. That sharp jawline, and his shaped nose.

The nose he was worried about passing on to our children.

The children we were never going to have.

He was so close. I could just run to the coffin, throw back the lid, and hold him in my arms again.

But I knew it wouldn't be him. Or at least, not the person I had known.

There was just an empty shell. That was all that was left of him.

I wanted nothing more than to see those lovely green eyes I had fallen so deeply in love with. But they wouldn't be the same either. Lifeless and unmoving.

He was so close, and yet so far.

He was right there in front of me, and yet, he was unreachable.

And then, the realization came.

It finally sunk in.

James was dead.

This was all that was left of him.

An empty corpse.

Everything he had been. His voice, his mannerism, that stupid dammed smug smile.

That was all gone forever. It would only ever exist in my memory.

And I knew, I was going to fight with everything I had to keep it there.

Bianca was right. I did need to keep fighting. I needed to fight to keep in alive in my mind.

I was going to fight.

My argument with Ella had made me want to fight again, and I was never going to lose that.

'Lady Thorne?' The priest asked, and I nodded.

'It's time.' He said.

I nodded, and with a deep shuddering breath, I took my place behind the carriage.

Alexander, Daniel, Christopher and Antony stood by the coffin door, and slowly pulled the coffin out and lifted it gently onto their shoulders. I saw Antony sniffle as he carried his friend his arm braced around Christopher.

All four of them held onto each other for strength.

It only seemed right.

James was being carried by his brothers and the two men he had considered so close they might as well have been his brothers.

With one noticeable absence.

Philip.

Philip hadn't replied to the letter Alexander had sent. The last anyone had heard from him was that he was too busy with the royal court to attend Ella's ball. But we hadn't heard anything about his attendance of the funeral.

So, we had to continue without him.

The four of them carried James slowly behind the priest, and I followed, trying my best to keep my emotions in check.

But it was just too hard.

And impossible task.

I was walking behind the corpse of the man I had loved more than anything.

My husband. The love of my life.

I wept silently as I walked behind him, through the crowd of mourners. Most of them gazed at me with pity.

Alone, widowed, devastated.

We finally reached the space in the ground that had been already prepared, and the four pall bearers lowered him into the ground slowly.

The sight of the large wooden coffin in the hole in the earth was just too much for me to take.

I started outright sobbing at that.

The love of my life was in the ground. Never to come back.

Never to kiss me again. Never to tell me he loved me again. Never to smile at me again.

Twenty-four years old. He had been so young. Barely a man.

After everything we had gone through, this is where we had ended up.

At his funeral.

 _Till death do us part._

That was what we had promised only four short months ago.

And now, we had parted.

The priest began to talk, but I barely heard it.

My sobs were too loud.

And my heart was forever broken. Never to be healed again.

I felt someone place their arms around my shoulders, and I wiped away my tears long enough to see my brother Richard holding onto me, supporting me.

He just nodded understandingly, and let me cry.

The priest continued on, but none of it was about James. It was something about death.

Then, a loud gasp came from the back of the crowd.

Followed by another.

And another.

And another.

Until the priest eventually stopped talking, and everyone turned around.

Including me.

The crowd had parted, revealing a straight path to the back, where someone was stood in the center.

A slightly familiar man.

His light brown hair fell over his eyes slightly, and his black cloak fluttered in the wind as we all stared at him.

I froze in shock. As did many other members of the crowd.

For standing before us…was Philip.

Lord Philip Mallare. The man who had gone missing for months, only to end up being engaged to the long lost princess.

And one of James's closest friends.

I glanced sideways to see both Christopher and Antony staring at their friend in shock.

No one moved.

No one seemed to know how to react.

Then, Antony moved.

Almost running, he strode towards Philip, a great sob wracking his chest as he did.

Philip stood anxiously, as his friend flung wide his arms and embraced him, sobbing.

Christopher was not far behind Antony, he too embracing their lost friend.

Three friends, united in grief of the fourth.

Everyone seemed stunned, and unsure of what exactly to do. No one spoke, but no one seemed to be able to tear their gaze away from the reunited friends.

I wasn't sure how much time passed exactly, but the priest began to talk again, and everyone seemed to turn their attention back to the service. The three friends stayed at the back of the crowd, no doubt supporting each other.

I hardly knew what to think, about Philip's sudden reappearance.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking of that.

The service continued on, with very few personal things said about James. I knew that many people would say their goodbyes to him privately after the ceremony

The priest said his final blessing, and threw the first handful of earth onto the top of the wooden coffin.

And I knew that was the last time I was ever going to see it. This was truly the last time I was ever going to be this close to him.

With a shaking hand, I bent down and picked up a handful of dirt. Then, I slowly moved to the edge of the hole, and stared down.

The light brown coffin loomed before me.

James was there.

Right there.

And yet, so far away.

My heart shattered as I opened my fist, and the earth dropped onto the wood, making a light muffled thump.

He was truly gone.

The man who had danced with me at the ball. The man who had flirted with me at the wedding.

The man who had almost shot my sister.

The man who had come to the cottage.

The man who had saved me when all hope was lost.

The man who had married me.

James had been the one who had fired the servants to make me happy. He had hidden my siblings, had kept them safe.

He had supported me all the way through my curse. He had always been there for me.

He had made me fall hopelessly in love with him. And he had loved me so deeply in return.

He had taken my maidenhead, and made me a woman.

And he had made me so happy.

So very happy.

And I realised, that while I was devastated that he was gone, I was also so grateful to him. For making me so happy. I had been so lucky to love him. I was glad that I had known him, proud to have known him.

And I was never going to lose that.

'I love you.' I whispered to him, for the final time.

I had never spoken truer words.

I stepped away from the edge, and watched as other people also covered the coffin in a fistful of earth.

And, for the first time in weeks, I finally felt a little at peace.

I was always going to love him. And it was always going to hurt.

But I was so happy I'd had that time with him, however brief.

Those were the best days of my life, and I was forever grateful to him for giving them to me.

I had said my goodbye.

And It was going to get better.

It was.

It was going to get so much better.

Because I loved him.

And that was never going to change.

Once people started to clear away, I managed to make my way over to where the three friends were stood, in deep conversation.

They were all stood in a close knit circle, their heads lowered so no one else could hear what they were saying. And it was painfully obvious that all three of them had been crying.

Maybe it was selfish of me, to want to know where Philip had been all these months. James had gone after him, and we had parted for a week, the day after we had told each other we loved each other.

And in hindsight, knowing we had such little time together, I wanted to know why he had been dragged away from me.

'Excuse me.' I asked quietly, standing behind Christopher.

All three of them look up and stared at me.

'Marion. I don't know if you've met….this is Philip.' Antony said, gesturing to the late arrival.

I nodded.

'Yes. But you probably don't remember me.' I said, meeting Philip's gaze.

He seemed puzzled, and upset, and like he was trying, but failing.

'You do seem…familiar.' He said.

'I was Ella's bridesmaid at the wedding. I believe you were supposed to walk me back down the aisle before…before James changed the order…' I explained.

His eyes went wide with understanding.

'Yes, of course. Nice to see you again.' He said, but then seemed to realise his mistake.

'I mean…It's not nice to have to meet like this…in these circumstances…but nice to...you know.' He stammered.

He made to turn away, but Antony elbowed him, making Philip all the more confused.

'What?' Philip asked through gritted teeth. 'I'm in no mood to make small talk.'

'That's his wife, you idiot.' Antony hissed.

Philip paled.

'Oh…Oh I'm so…so sorry. I didn't mean to…I promise I'd never…I didn't know!' Philip managed to utter.

'it's alright.' I reassured him.

'My deepest condolences.' Philip said. 'James was…he was…'

He seemed to think about it for a minute, but then nodded to himself.

'He was an arrogant bastard, most of the time.' He said.

I was quite taken aback by his words.

Antony glared at him, and Christopher seemed to hang his head in disappointment.

'But, he was a good friend, when he chose to be. And he was one of the best people I knew.' Philip continued. 'And if he chose to marry you, then he must have loved you very much. He always used to go on about how he was never going to marry for advantage, purely to irritate his father. He wanted love.'

'He got it.' I told him. And I knew Philip believed me.

'But what about yourself?' I asked. 'The lost princess?'

Philip went a little red at that.

'It's a long story.'

'Oh well, Rose will be happy at least that she has a story to tell this time.' I told him.

Philip expression became almost unreadable. It was somewhere in the region of shocked and confused and skeptical.

'How do you know Rose wanted a story?' Philip asked slowly.

'She told me.' I said, innocently.

All three of their jaw's dropped.

'You met…how is that…how did you…Oh!' He cried, the realization coming to him suddenly.

'You're that Marion? The one who hid in her cellar, the day before I met her? The one with the stories?' Philip asked, shocked.

I nodded.

'That's me.'

'Small world.' Philip muttered.

'So, what happened? How did you meet Rose?' I asked.

'It's a long story, involving magic and fates, and….the fae.' Philip muttered. 'I'll maybe tell you another day.'

Confusion hit me, until I followed his sightline, and saw that Daniel was stood behind me, waiting for me.

And at the edge of the graveyard, all my siblings were ready to go, already on the cart.

I knew I could wait to hear Philips story. It would keep.

'I'd just like to say,' I told him, 'That if what you and Rose have is love, then hold on tightly to it.'

Philip smiled sadly.

'Because you never know when it will be taken away. And every moment will be something you will treasure. But…it's never enough. No time would ever be enough. So take it, while you can.'

Philip nodded kindly to me.

'I will Marion. I promise, for James, I will.'

I nodded my farewell's to the group, and turned to walk to my brother.

But, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of gold caught my eye.

There, waiting in one of the carriages, alone…was Ella.

She had come after all, but had stayed away from me.

Part of my wanted to run to her, and ask her if everything could go back to the way it had been before. But I knew that we could never go back. Not yet anyway. There were too many things said, too much done.

So that would have to wait. Until I could truly forgive her.

'Ready Arry?' Daniel asked, gesturing to the cart.

'Give me one moment. I need to…say goodbye.' I told him, before turning away and stepping towards the freshly covered coffin.

James's body lay underneath it, but not his soul. No, his soul was far away and close at the same time.

And I knew a piece of it would always remain in my heart, just as Bianca had said.

Standing alone before his grave, I read the newly carved gravestone.

 _Here lies Sir James Thorne_

 _Friend, Brother, and Husband._

 _Taken too young, but forever with us._

Those words rang true.

He would be with us forever.

He would be a part of everything I was going to do. My life was no longer my own, but ours.

I'd hoped I'd never know heartbreak like this, but I had to live with it. I had to fight to keep him there. He deserved that.

Life had to go on.

This was not going to defeat me.

It was going to hurt, and it was going to be hard, but I was not going to let this win.

He was going to live as I carried on my life.

I had to carry on.

So, standing over the grave of the love of my life, I told him this.

'I'm never going to forget you James. Never. And I'm never going to stop loving you. And I will try…to move on…one day. But we are going to see each other again, but not soon. Wait for me, my love. It will be years from now, but we will get the time we deserve. Because I love you, and I know you loved me to. And nothing can ever take that away from us. So thank you…for making me…the happiest girl on earth. I'm so grateful…to have been…your wife…And I am so proud…to call you my husband. Rest easy, my love, and wait for me.'

Tears streamed down my face as I said these words, staring at his names carved into the cool unfeeling stone.

With one final look, I turned away, and began to walk from James's grave.

Daniel was still waiting for me.

'Are you alright?' He asked cautiously.'

'No.' I said truthfully. 'But I will be. One day.'

Daniel nodded.

'Let's go home.'

And I had to agree with him.

It was time to go home.


	26. Author's note

First, an apology, then an authors note.

Hello all.

The apology

I am well aware that most of you hate me right now, and you are perfectly justified in that. And trust me, I hate myself for it. If it's any consolation at all, I sobbed the entire time I was writing it.

However, this was always meant to be. Ever since the story started to take form in my mind, James was never going to survive the series. Originally, he wasn't supposed to be as perfect a match for Marion as he turned out to be, but as I wrote, I found I fell in love with him until he became the character you all know. And I seriously regret having decided to kill him in the first place. But the rest of the story can't continue if he's alive, so I'm sorry to say he is truly dead, and will not be reappearing.

Marion's experiences and relationships with people define her as a character, so her loss will alter her quite a bit. I'm sorry to say that she had to suffer this way to develop more.

And I know none of this is an excuse.

Trust me, I've already been yelled at many times by my beta, who loved James. In fact, I happened to leave the country to go on holiday just before he read it, and I think it was probably a good idea, or else I would have been hunted down and killed.

So I really would like to apologise for all of you who liked James. I did too, and the fact I've known for more than a year that he was going to die has been slowly killing me inside.

Anyway, onto the authors note.

I once again, want to thank everyone who has stuck by me for so long. This next part is the final part, I promise! This stupidly long story will finally end. Thank you all for continuing to read! I realise that reading this is more commitment than reading most other fanfictions, and so I'm so grateful that you've all given me so much of your time. I truly can't thank you enough.

I'd also like to thank my beta, who had once again had to put up with my rantings, and I reward him by killing his favourite character. To try and make it up to you, I will attempt to put less stupid spelling mistakes in my draft, and I will ensure that all your other favourite characters survive the series (you know who I'm talking about).

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! You have no idea how excited I get when I get the email. It truly brightens my day!

I hope you all continue to read, once you've forgiven me for killing him (which to be quite honest, I'm not sure even I would forgive myself...)

Final part up soon.

Generic Fangirl.


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